The Roar of Time
by Taeng
Summary: Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger Vs Mirai Sentai Timeranger. Following the escape of a member of the Londarz family, the Timerangers are sent back to the past to recover the criminal, but recieve help from an unlikely source. Tatsuya/Yuuri
1. Quest 1

**For a while, I've wanted to write a verses story and then this popped into my head. I haven't seen or read a Gaoranger Vs Timeranger story before, I don't even know if any exist, but I thought I'd have a go at writing one.**

**There will be some - although limited - similiarites to the Time Force and Wild Force team up, but these will be few, if any.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Timeranger or Gaoranger. They belong to Toei.

**Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger Vs Mirai Sentai Timeranger: The Roar of Time**

_**Quest 1**_

The corridors of the Time Protection Bureau were silent and dark, the only light was from the dim red neon security lights that lined the corridors. Light foots steps softly echoed as a cloaked figure stealthily slid down the corridor, their shadow briefly appearing as they crept along the wall. The figure reached into its cloak, taking out a small metallic ball. Still moving, the figure lightly rolled it down the corridor, towards the door at the end and the two guards that stood either side of it. The figure then paused.

The ball rolled silently, stopping directly in between the two guards. There was a hiss of air, as smoke started to stream out of the small holes that adorned the ball, startling the guards. Before they had time to react, they began coughing, clasping at their throats before they fell to their knees. They collapsed to the floor, their eyes closed as their coughing stopped.

The figure started moving again and their footsteps ended as they came to a stop outside the grey closed door that had been guarded. The figure moved its head to look at the sign next to the door, which was above a code pad.

_Freeze Containment Room_

The figure let out a small hiss of satisfaction before it reached back into its cloak, taking out a small round and flat object. The figure placed the object against the wall, directly above the code pad, pressing a button on the rim of the object. Three sharp legs shot out of the object, bending and diving silently into the wall, holding the object in place. The figure then pressed the button at the centre of the device and took a small step back.

The code pad lit up, the numbered keys flashing green as the device searched for the correct code in which to access the room.

The figure silently cursed and withdrew into the shadows as the code pad emitted small beeps as the individual code numbers were locked in place, constantly checked around, making sure that the sounds hadn't alerted any of the guards patrolling the corridors. But there was no sound of running footsteps or of any alarms being activated and the figure let out a sigh of relief.

There was another beeping sound, different from the previous sounds, signalling that the correct code had been entered and the door slid open with a hiss of air.

The figure didn't move. Instead, they reached into their cloak again and took out another metallic ball and threw it into the room, knowing that guards inside wouldn't know what had happened to the ones outside, the door and walls were sound proof so that the cries and shouts of those being frozen couldn't be heard. The figure then waited as the toxin was realised though the holes in the ball and the strangled gasps of the guards could be heard as they struggled to breath. Moments later, there were two dull thuds and the gasping stopped. Smiling, the figure entered the room, stepping over the bodies of the guards and, ignoring the freeze containment machine, approached one of the freezer cabinets, scanning the names of those who had been frozen.

There were rows upon rows of the small capsules holding the criminals and law breakers which had been moved into the Time Protection Bureau following the disappearance of half of the Londarz Penitentiary the previous year. The figure began to get increasingly frustrated as it tried to find the right one. The figure was also beginning to feel a sense of panic, knowing that a routine patrol was due soon. The figure then smirked as its gloved hand grabbed one of the capsules, placing it inside the cloak and taking out another identical capsule, placing it where the original had been. It then closed the cabinet doors and slid out of the room, removing the metallic ball as it did so.

Just as it was about to exit the room, the sound of footsteps could be heard and the figure cursed and groaned again, knowing that they had taken too long in finding the correct capsule. Quickly closing the door, the figure picked up the second metallic ball before ducking into the shadows and disappearing into the night.

G|T

"How could this have happened?" Captain Ibuki Tomasu, head of the Intercity Police, said, examining the device that had allowed an unknown assailant access to the freeze containment room.

The four guards had all been knocked unconscious and upon their discovery, the alarm had been raised and the guards taken to the infirmary. Upon inspection, nothing was found to be missing, raising questions about the nature of the break in and a search was currently underway to try and locate the perpetrator.

Ibuki turned to the four people next to him, all of them dressed in the white attire, signalling their role in the police. "What do you make of all of this," he asked.

The only woman in the group stepped forward and looked at the device, still stuck in the wall. Her fingers ran over it, examining it. She then stood back. "Londarz Family," she said and the five males gasped.

"Londarz Family? Yuuri-san, are you sure?" The youngest of the group, who currently had pale green hair, asked.

"Yeah, they haven't been active in over a year, not since Don Dolnero was killed and we came back," the man next to him said, running a hand through his short dark hair, messing it up even more.

Yuuri looked at them. "I'm positive. I've seen this type of device before. This is one of theirs."

The fifth member of the group crossed his arms. "It doesn't make sense. Why now?"

Ibuki shook his head. "That's what I want the four of you to find out. You have had more experience than the rest of us in dealing with the Londarz Family." He turned to Yuuri. "I'm putting you in charge."

Yuuri nodded once in response. "First we need to find out what was stolen," she said, now taking control.

"But we've already done a preliminary check and determined that nothing's missing," the youngest of the group replied.

Yuuri nodded again. "The Londarz Family have been inactive for over a year and for them to strike now and not succeed, it's not like them. Whatever they did, they succeeded and seeing as they targeted this room out of all of the others, I assume that they took one of the containers." She turned to the two older men. "Ayase, Domon, I want you to check all of the containers against the register, make sure none of them are missing and that none of them look different or appear to have been tampered with. There's a chance the thief could have replaced the one that they took."

Ayase, who still had his arms folded, and Domon exchanged looks, already knowing that their search would be futile, but didn't say anything. They both knew that once Yuuri was on a mission, there was no stopping her. Instead they both nodded and entered the freeze containment room.

The youngest turned to Yuuri. "What shall I do, Yuuri-san?"

"Sion, I want you to look at all of the camera footage from tonight. See if you can find out who broke in and how they did it."

Sion nodded and left, leaving Ibuki and Yuuri.

Ibuki turned to Yuuri. "What about you?"

Yuuri smiled. "I think I'm going to pay someone a little visit." She made to turn but Ibuki gasped hold of her shoulder.

"Make sure you take a couple of officers with you," he told her.

She saluted to him. "Yes, Sir."

G|T

Domon leaned back against a cabinet and groaned. He and Ayase had spent the last four hours going through half of the cabinets of capsules, checking and double checking them. "How much longer? We've been at it all night."

Ayase looked over at him from his position, crouched in front of one of the cabinets, and sighed. "We're halfway there," he said. "But we'd be a lot quicker if you helped." He threw the register at Domon, hitting him in the chest.

"Oi, Ayase!" Domon sat up and looked at the register. "Fine," he said. "Who's next?"

"Prisoner #3476," Ayase replied. "Oberlectrix."

Domon looked at the register. "Good thing we didn't face him," he said. "Say's that he creates powerful electrical currents which instantly paralyse. Killed twenty one civilians before he was apprehended." He turned the register around, allowing Ayase to look at the profile picture. Ayase pursed his lips and nodded in agreement.

Checking the remaining capsules in this manner sped up the time and after an hour, they were onto the final cabinet.

"Prisoner #5823, Serperant," Ayase muttered, rubbing his eyes from tiredness.

Domon let out a groan as he stretched. "Says here that he has some weird mind control power. Used it to kill ten police officers and over fifty civilians, manipulating their movements by placing thoughts in their heads. He can also move things with his mind and that this all due to the horn on his head. It also says that he's a skilled assassin and has acute hearing. Apparently he was also one of Don Dolnero's right hand men. I wonder why we never encountered him in the past…" he muttered the last bit. He then shook his head. "If this guy ever got out..." He once more turned the register to Ayase, allowing him to see the criminal's picture. "Well?"

Ayase glanced at the register. "Nope." He then looked back at the capsule. "Hang on..."

"What is it?"

Ayase looked between the figure in the capsule and at the register. "They're not the same," he muttered.

"What?" Domon took a step closer and copied Ayase in looking at the capsule and the picture on the register. "They look the same to me."

Ayase shook his head. "They're not. If you look closer you'll see that the face and hands are slightly different. In the picture the eyes are closed, but here," he pointed at the capsule, "the eyes are open."

"So? He might have been mid way through blinking or he intentionally closed his eyes."

"No, according to his profile, he had his eyes sewn closed and uses his horn and tongue to see, but it's not just that. Look at his hands. The figure in this container only has four fingers; the real Serperant only has three."

Domon looked between the two. "You're right. We'd better call this in and let Yuuri know."

Ayase nodded and the two of them ran out of the room into the corridor towards the bridge where Sion was, Ayase speaking urgently into the communicator strapped to his wrist as he ran.

G|T

Yuuri was flanked by four officers as she entered the dimly lit room on the outskirts of the city, the sun was beginning to rise, illuminating a majority of the room, the sounds of morning traffic could be heard in the sky above them. She knew that if anyone had any information on the activities of the Londarz Family, then this alien would be the one to tell her.

"Howl," she called into the room as if beckoning for a dog. "Howl, I know you're here." She turned to the officer next to her. "Wave the bag a bit."

The officer looked at her as if she was crazy, but without question, he extended an arm and waved a paper bag.

There was a snarling, hissing sound coming from the corner of the room where it was darkest. The four officers stopped walking at the sound, but Yuuri continued taking steps forward. The snarling intensified.

"Quick, throw the bag."

Without hesitation, the officer threw the bag into the corner and it disappeared in the darkness. The snarling sound was replaced by the sound of the bag being ripped apart and its contents being eaten.

"Good Howl," Yuuri said, stopping. "There's more where that came from if you come out and answer a couple of my questions."

There was a rustling sound and the four officers took a step back. From the dark corner, a figure emerged, stepping into the light, they could see that it was hunched over with large clawed feet and hands. It was covered in dark, thick, shaggy fur with a long snout and short pointed ears. Its eyes flashed red.

"Yuuri-san," the creature hissed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I want information on the Londarz Family."

The creature laughed. "The Londarz Family don't exist anymore. You wasted a journey."

"Don't mess with me, Howl!" Yuuri almost shouted. "They broke into the Time Protection Bureau last night and stole something. I want to know what and what they are planning."

Howl snarled, bearing his teeth. "You know my price."

"And I said you'll get it. Tell me what I want to know. The break in was strategic and planned. They knew exactly what they were doing and what they wanted. Now tell me what."

"Fine, since you asked so nicely." Howl took a step forward. "The Londarz Family have been biding their time."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I only hear bits and pieces. It's your job to put them together."

Yuuri frowned at this.

"I heard they were planning to break out a specific prisoner."

"Which one?"

"I don't know. Like I said; bits and pieces. I also heard a while ago that they were planning to break into your little headquarters and that they had hacked into the security."

"You knew ages ago and you're only telling us this now?" One of the officers shouted, unable to contain himself.

Howl let out a snarl, his eyes narrowing before snapping his teeth. "Only Yuuri-san asks the questions."

"Keep quiet," Yuuri said, turning to the four officers. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with the whole situation. She then turned back to Howl. "Answer the question."

Howl looked at the officers for a moment before looking back at Yuuri. "You never asked." His eyes then relaxed slightly.

Yuuri let out a sigh. "You're not being very helpful Howl. I don't know if you deserve this delicious, succulent, pure meat that I brought." She made to turn and leave.

"No wait!" Howl cried. "I heard something else, their hideout, I know where it is."

Yuuri turned back to him, a small smile on her lips. "Tell me."

G|T

The old warehouse had been abandoned as Yuuri and the four officers entered, their guns drawn and ready.

"Looks like no one's here," one of the officers said.

Yuuri nodded. "Whoever was here has gone now." She approached the closet table and examined the drink that adorned it. It was lukewarm. "They haven't long left, though." She turned to the four officers. "Spread out. We need to find out what they were doing here."

"Yes, Ma'am.' The officers nodded and separated, searching the warehouse.

Yuuri searched though the papers that had been discarded. There were random dates and numbers on them, some appeared to be old newspaper articles, while others appeared to be schematics. She picked up one of the diagrams up and gasped upon seeing that it was a design for a freeze containment machine. She put it down and picked up one of the newspaper articles, seeing that it was dated from shortly after she had arrived back from the future. One of the articles on the front page was about the death of Don Dolnero, the date circled. "Oh no," she gasped.

There was a shout from across the warehouse and she put the paper down before running over to see the four officers standing before a completed freeze containment machine, identical to the one at the Time Protection Bureau. She stared at it as she walked forward.

"Has it been activated?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the machine, although she already knew the answer.

"Yes," one of the officers replied. "It's recently unfrozen someone."

Yuuri swallowed. "We'd better report this." She raised her wrist, about to talk into her communicator when Sion's voice came out of it.

"Yuuri-san?"

"Yes, Sion, what is it?"

"You'd better get back here. We've found something and, well," he swallowed nervously, "it's not good."

Yuuri nodded. "I'm on my way."

G|T

Yuuri entered the bridge to see Sion, Ayase and Domon waiting for her. Captain Ibuki was standing next to them.

"What have you found?" she asked as soon as she entered the room.

"Well, you were right," Ayase said. "They did take something, or should I say someone."

"Who?"

"Prisoner #5823, Serperant," Domon replied. "But we still don't what they're planning. Sion couldn't find anything from the surveillance cameras."

"All of the cameras showed static," Sion explained. "All I can tell you is that they went off at exactly the same time. They were well planned. I'm sorry, Yuuri-san."

Yuuri shook her head. "It's alright. I did find out what they're planning." She folded her arms. "They unfroze Serperant and are planning on taking him back to the year 2001, the third of February 2001 to be precise."

"Why that date? What was so important that happened then?" Ibuki asked.

Yuuri looked at Ayase, Domon and Sion before replying. "That's the date Don Dolnero died."

Sion gasped.

"They must be planning on resurrecting Don Dolnero then," Ayase said. "But why?"

Before anyone had a chance to respond, the emergency sirens sounded.

"What is it?" Ibuki asked, looking at the consol.

"The cameras leading to the Time ships have been deactivated!" the woman sat at the control consol cried.

"They must be stealing a Time ship," Domon said.

"Quick, prevent any access to the holding room," Ibuki said.

"I can't. They've hacked into our systems and have bypassed all of our security codes. There isn't anything I can do," the woman replied, frantically typing into the consol. "Uh, uh," she stuttered, her fingers moving away from the panel, making everyone look at her as she pointed at her consol. "One of the time ships has powered up."

"Is there anything you can do to stop it?" Ibuki asked.

She shook her head. "They've bypassed everything. There's nothing I can do."

Yuuri approached the woman and leant over to look at the consol. "Can you tell how many are inside?"

"Uh..." she paused for a moment as she scanned the consol. "Yes, yes I can." She looked again, typing on her keyboard to bring up the relevant information. "According to this, there's only one life form."

"They're only sending Serperant back," Yuuri muttered.

"Providus is powering up," the woman informed them, moving her chair along the consol, "and the time gate has been activated."

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do to stop them?" Domon asked.

She shook her head. "I'm locked out. There's nothing I can do." She looked back at her consol. "It's gone. The time ship has entered the time gate. Both the time gate and Providus are powering down. They've gone."

"Can you give me the exact date?" Ibuki asked.

She nodded. "It'll take a couple of minutes. I have to work around the different programmes."

Ibuki nodded and looked up at Domon, Ayase, Sion and Yuuri. "How do you four feel about taking a trip back to the past?"

"What? Really?" Sion gasped. "We get to go back?"

Ibuki nodded. "I trust you four. You've already been to this era and have had more dealings with the Londarz family than anyone else. We'll help you with whatever information we find." He looked round at the four of them. "You will be acting as Timerangers again."

Domon and Ayase smiled at hearing this news, while Sion jumped up and down with excitement.

"We're going to be Timerangers again!" Sion said excitedly. "We're going to see Tatsyua-san again."

Ayase looked at Yuuri who was still staring at the consol, waiting for the woman to give them the date the Time ship had travelled to. "Yuuri?"

Yuuri lifted her head, a small smile on her lips. "We're going back," she said softly. _We're coming back, Tatsyua._

* * *

><p><strong>I apologise for the bittiness of this chapter, as in all of the little scenes, but it was necessary to get this story going.<br>**

**I also apologise for the name of this story, but I didn't want to just call it Gaoranger Vs Timeranger and I couldn't think of anything better.**

**I hope I got all of the names right (not the character names, but things like the Time Protection Bureau), but I'm going from like three different translations.  
><strong>

**Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and the Gaorangers will be appearing in the second chapter.  
><strong>


	2. Quest 2

**Before we begin this chapter, following Neo Juste Belmont's review, I realised that I hadn't put a time frame in for this. So, this takes place a year after the end of Timeranger and after Gaoranger Vs Super Sentai, so there will be references to that.  
><strong>

**Quest 2**

Shishi Kakeru let out a gasp as he quickly sat up in his bed, awake. He clutched his head in hands as he tried to rid himself of the unease and worry that coursed though his body. He couldn't remember what had happened to make him wake up so abruptly with those feelings running though him, but he could still hear what felt like the roar of Gao Lion echoing in his mind. It had felt as though his power animal had been calling to him, but he hadn't been able make out the sounds well. He rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the light as he took in his bearings. As he looked around, he noticed that his three male comrades, Washio Gaku, Samezu Kai and Ushigome Sotaro, were still asleep and this surprised him, considering Gaku was usually the first one awake. Kakeru groaned again as he reached over for his G-Phone, flipping it open so he could see the time. 05.15. Realising that there was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep now, he groaned and swung his feet off the bed and stood up. He shook his head in another attempt to rid the thumping that coursed through his head, as though Gao Lion was still calling to him and he sighed as the thumping eased slightly. He changed into his clothes and headed into the main alcove which was silent, indicating that Tetomu was still sleeping, his feelings of unease and worry beginning to fade.

Kakeru sat at the stone table, resting his head on the cold surface. He didn't like being the first one awake and he wondered what Gaku did every morning before the rest of them awoke. _Probably trained or practised or something_, he thought, thinking about doing something similar, but it was too early in the morning for anything like that. Instead, he wondered why he awoke so early. Usually, he was awoken by the sounds of the others moving around or Tetomu calling that breakfast was ready, but this morning all of Gao's Rock was silent and he couldn't think of a reason as to what would have woken him up.

There was a splashing sound behind him, making him jump as Tetomu appeared out of the holy spring where she lay dormant when she wasn't needed. "Good morning," she greeted him with her usual smile.

"Morning," Kakeru muttered in response.

Tetomu tilted her head. "You're not usually the first one up," she said.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Oh?" She sat down next to him, her hands on her knees. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I think," Kakeru replied uncertainly. "I just woke up."

"You know," Tetomu stood back up, "there must be something on your mind."

Kakeru looked at her and shook his head. "But there isn't."

"How did you feel when you woke up?"

Kakeru shrugged. "Tired."

"Anything else?"

"I..." he paused for a moment, remembering how he felt uneasy and nervous when he awoke. "Yeah, I had this weird sense of worry and unease, but I don't know why."

Tetomu frowned. She turned and approached the holy spring, looking into it. She looked into it, the light reflecting in the water. The water remained still and she sighed. "There isn't any Org activity or any communication from the Power Animals or the Animarium. There doesn't appear to be any danger." She turned back to Kakeru. "I'm sure that it was just the result of a bad dream," she said.

Kakeru nodded in response. "Yeah," he agreed. But he still felt uneasy. He was about to tell Tetomu, but stopped when he heard the voice of the other female living at Gao's Rock.

"Good morning," Taiga Sae said, stretching her arms above her head as she walked over to the table and slumped down next to Kakeru. "I had the worst night's sleep," she said, continuing to stretch.

"You too?" Tetomu frowned; concerned that two of them had now had an unpleasant night's sleep.

"Yeah. I can't remember what it was about, but when I woke up, I had this weird sense of dread. It also felt as if Gao Tiger was calling to me but I couldn't hear anything." She groaned. "Stupid dream. Why did it have to wake me up?"

Kakeru and Tetomu exchanged a look before Tetomu said, "Gao Tiger was talking to you?"

Sae looked at her. "I think so. But I don't quite remember."

Tetomu looked at Kakeru. "Could you hear Gao Lion?" she asked, remembering his empathy and connection with the power animal and he nodded as he remembered the thumping that had felt like the roar of Gao Lion.

"Eh? Did you have a weird dream too?" Sae asked, staring at him.

"I don't know," he replied. "You're dream sounds similar to mine, not remembering it and then feeling a sense of dread and unease when you woke up."

Tetomu pursed her lips and looked back at the holy shrine. "This is most unusual," she said quietly as the surface of the water remained still.

G|T

A thousand years in the future, Captain Ibuki stood before Yuuri, Sion, Domon and Ayase. He held a silver briefcase in his hands. "The four of you are returning to the past," he informed them, "back to the year 2001, a date which you have already been to. I shouldn't have to remind you of the importance of not interfering with this timeline. As you will remember, shortly after the death of Don Dolerno, the death of TakizawaNaoto, Time Fire, occurred. You must make no attempts to change Time Fire's history. You must also make no attempts to interact with your past selves or with Asami Tatsuya. Any interaction could result in the past being changed." Ibuki looked at the four of them sternly. "Am I understood?"

"Yes Sir." The four of them nodded in unison.

"Good." Ibuki opened the briefcase, showing them the contents inside. "These, of course, are your Chrono Changers. The fifth, for Time Red, was left in the past with Asami."

"But you said we couldn't contact Tatsuya-san," Sion said. "How are we supposed to have a Time Red?"

"You won't. This is a simple re-capture mission. Bring back Serperant without interacting with your past selves or doing anything that would change and past and your, our future." He held the briefcase out and one at a time, they took their respective Chrono Changers.

Yuuri strapped hers to her wrist, smiling at the feel of it against her skin once more. "Have you been able to find out the exact date in which Serperant travelled to?"

"No," Ibuki replied. "I have been informed that that data was heavily encrypted. We currently have people deciphering the code to that information."

"So we're guessing then," Domon said. "We're just assuming that Serperant travelled back to the 3rd of February 2001?"

Ibuki nodded. "It is important you travel to the past as soon as possible. We might not be able to wait for the necessary information."

Ayase frowned. "So what are we supposed to do if we have travelled to the wrong time?"

"Then you'll return here," Ibuki told them. "You're forgetting that you will have a still have a functional Time ship."

The four nodded.

Ibuki looked at each of them in turn. "I don't know why you're still standing here. You have a mission to complete."

The four Timerangers saluted to the Captain as he dismissed them and they left for the Time ship bay.

"I can't believe we're going to the past again," Sion excitedly said as he studied his Chrono changer. "We get to see Tatsuya-san and Naoto-san again."

"You heard what the Captain said," Ayase said, "we can't interact with them in case we change the past, again." He glanced over a Yuuri, who had her lips pursed in thought and sighed.

Domon let out a heavy sigh. "I should have asked if I could see Honami," he said.

Yuuri stopped. "We can't interact with anyone," she said with more force then was necessary, surprising her four comrades. "We have a mission to complete and we can't interact with anyone. No matter how much we want to." Her voice ended in a whisper before she led them down the corridor once more, her head hanging slightly lower than before.

The three males exchanged looks, knowing that while it would be hard for them to see Tatsuya and not be able to talk to him, it was even harder for her. Though she had never admitted it to them, they knew how much she had cared about Tatsuya and that he had returned her feelings and it pained them to know how much the mission would hurt her.

While Domon knew it would hurt if he saw Honami again, he knew that was a chance that he wouldn't encounter her at all, but he knew that they were more than likely going to see Tatsuya and the thought of how painful it would be for Yuuri made him shake his head in sadness.

Yuuri sighed as she walked. She hadn't meant to snap, but the thought seeing Tatsuya again and not being able to talk to him was hard for her to bear. Over the last year, she had tried to rid herself of her feelings for him, knowing that she would never see him again, but this new mission and knowing that she might see him again made her previously buried feelings resurface and she didn't know how she would cope if she did see him. She deeply regretted not acting on her feelings for him sooner, only telling him the truth when they about to be parted. If she had told him sooner, then maybe they would have had more time together, like Domon and Honami, but then she thought that that would have meant that their separation would have been harder. At least this way, she couldn't miss what she didn't have. In the same way that Domon felt sorry for her, Yuuri felt sorry for Domon, since he had had that time with Honami.

They arrived at the Time ship bay and they entered, looking at the mass of Time ships that were contained there.

"Have you been able to determine the date Serperant went to?" Yuuri asked, speaking into her Chrono changer.

"Not yet," Ibuki's voice responded. "It should take a couple more minutes."

Yuuri nodded and lead them over to their designated Time ship, _Mirai_. They entered and dressed in the 21st Century clothing, similar to what they had worn last time they visited the past, that was supplied for them, before, once again, the knowledge of the past was downloaded into their minds. Yuuri placed a hand against her head, feeling momentarily dizzy as they were transported into the command room and the ship's navigator robot emerged.

"Navigator robot, Jikoku," the owl-like robot said. "I will be your guide?"

Sion stumbled slightly at the sight of the robot that looked so similar to Taku, their previous navigator robot who had been left in the past. He hoped that Tatsuya had found him and was looking after him along with Time Roboter.

"What date has been put in?" Domon asked as there was an announcement saying that the Time Gate had been activated.

"February second, 2001," Yuuri hastily replied. "It's as good a guess as any," she said, when the three males looked at her. "Hopefully we'll arrive a day before Serperant."

They nodded in response as the countdown began and braced themselves in anticipation as it reached zero. Providus hit the ship, sending them hurtling towards the Time Gate.

"Change your destination!" The voice of Ibuki suddenly said. "Serperant has gone to the third of February 2002!"

"What?" Domon and Sion gasped.

"They're a year out," Ayase muttered, referring the Londarz family mistake with the date.

"Quick change the date!" Yuuri called to Jikoku, as the ship entered the Time Gate and travelled back through time.

G|T

The water of the holy shrine splashed, startling the Gaorangers who were all assembled at the table. Following her discussions with Kakeru and Sae, on the awakening of the other Gaorangers, Tetomu had discovered that all of them had had restless nights, feeling as though their Power Animals were calling to them, though they didn't know why. She had yet to speak to Shirogane about it, though she already had her suspicions that he too had had similar dreams. The fact that all of the Gaorangers had had similar dreams and that their Power Animals appeared to be trying to contact them worried her. She knew that they would only do that if there was a big threat coming.

Upon hearing the water splash, she darted over and looked into the waters, seeing the Org that had surfaced. She turned to the five Gaorangers. "It's a Duke Org," she informed them. "Be careful."

The Gaorangers nodded in response, throwing on their jackets before leaving Gao Rock and Tetomu sighed as she turned back to shrine, with a deep feeling of unease about the Duke Org. She hoped that this wasn't the threat that the Power Animals were trying to warn them about.

The Gaorangers arrived at where the Duke Org had been detected; Shirogane had joined them en route. It was a short stretch of beach away from the bustle of the city. The beach was deserted, the waves gently lapping the golden sand, but in the distance, they could see a stream of smoke billowing.

"What's that coming from?" Sae asked, her hair blowing back across her face by the wind.

"I don't know," Kakeru replied. "But if it has anything to do with the Duke Org we have to check it out."

"We should be cautious though," Shirogane added. "We don't know what's there."

The Gaorangers shared a look of agreement before approaching the place the smoke was rising from.

"Oh my God," Gaku gasped as the scene came into view.

The six Gaorangers stared at the sight before them. A craft or ship of some sort had apparently crashed into the side of the cliff. Thick, dark smoke was rising from the ship.

"What is that?" Sotaro asked, unable to tear his eyes away.

"It looks like some sort of flying ship," Kai replied.

"Do you think anyone's inside?" Sae worriedly asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should check it out," Kakeru replied. He looked at the others. "Yellow, Black, let's go." He referred to Gaku and Sotaro, using their respective colours since they were now on a mission. "You three stay here in case we need any help. And keep an eye out for the Duke Org. We don't know where he is." Kakeru led Gaku and Sotaro across the sands towards the mysterious ship.

"Where in the World did this come from?" Sotaro wondered as he gazed at the ship.

"I don't think it's any type of military aircraft," Gaku replied, recalling his Air Force days. "Unless they've upgraded since then."

Kakeru nodded. "Let's just be cautious."

"Hey, what's that written on the side?" Sotaro pointed at the ship.

"_Jikan_," Gaku said. "Must be the name of the ship."

They took some more steps towards the ship when the sand in front of them exploded, making them cover their faces as they stumbled back in surprise.

"What the –?" Kakeru gasped, lowering his arms. He could see Shirogane, Kai and Sae shouting and the sounds of footsteps running across the sand. As the smoke and sand from the explosion disappeared, he could see the shape of a figure standing between him and the ship. As the figure came into focus, Kakeru could see that it held a humanoid shape, but appeared to be reptilian with its entire body covered in the green scales, while its head looked like that of a lizard or snake, its pink tongue flickering in and out of its mouth. It had clawed hands and feet, with a long thin tail at the base of its back. It was dressed in loose black clothing, a long, thin sword strapped to its back. Its head was covered by a black hood, but they could see a short horn protruding from the crown of the creature's head. Kakeru held back a gasp as he saw that the creature's eyes had been sewn shut.

"Is that it, the Duke Org?" Sae asked, slightly gasping for breath.

"It must be," Shirogane replied. "But I don't recognise it."

Kakeru looked at him for a brief moment before saying, "Another question is, what was it doing with that ship?"

"Does it matter?" Gaku said. "Let's just defeat it."

They all nodded in agreement, taking out their G-Phones and Shirogane took out his G-Brace Phone.

"Gao Access!" they all shouted. "Summon, spirit of the Earth!" the six of them then called, transforming into the Gaorangers.

"Shakunetsu no Shishi, GaoRed!"

"The Kokō no Arawashi, GaoYellow!"

"Dotō no Same, GaoBlue!"

"Hagane no Mōgyū, GaoBlack!"

"Urawashi no Byakko, GaoWhite!"

"Senretsu no Ginrō, GaoSilver!"

"Wherever there is life, there is a roar of justice," Kakeru said, once everyone had done their respective roll call and taken up their stances. "Hyakuujuu Sentai Gaoranger!"

The creature didn't move as the Gaorangers raced forward to attack. Instead, it just flicked its tongue. The creature then unsheathed its sword and in a lightning fast move, struck each of the Gaorangers in turn, throwing them back onto the sand. They all groaned as they tried to stand again. The creature made to run at them again, when there was a shout of "VolBlaster!" and shot hit the creature throwing it back and it rolled across the sand. It let out a hiss.

The Gaorangers looked up at the top of the cliff where the shot had come from and saw a figure standing there. In a swift movement, they jumped down onto the sand. The Gaorangers gasped upon seeing that the newcomer was dressed in a red suit with the white arrow shape on the chest and a red and black helmet covering their head. They instantly recognised them as a member of another Super Sentai team, but one they hadn't encountered before.

The figure approached the creature, taking something from the centre of their belt, holding it out in front of them. "Londarz family," the person said, and the Gaorangers tilted their heads in confusion. "You are under arrest for breaking the laws of time."

The creature hissed as the Gaorangers got to their feet, brushed off the sand and approached the newcomer.

"Oi," Gaku said, "who are you?"

The figure turned their head, facing them. "Asami Tatsuya. TimeRed."


	3. Quest 3

**Quest 3**

"TimeRed?"

Kakeru pushed himself forward, past Gaku, facing the newcomer. He looked him up and down. "Hey, I know you."

Tatsuya, TimeRed, turned his head to look at Kakeru, tilting his head in confusion.

"From before," Kakeru explained. "You leant me your powers to help defeat an Org. You were with some other Reds."

"Huh." Tatsuya nodded his head, remembering the time when he had stood on a ledge, alongside other previous Reds and how they had given the Red standing before him some of their power. "I remember."

"Where's the rest of your team?" Sae asked, interrupting the two Red's conversation.

Tatsuya looked at her. "They're not here," he said and they all detected the hint of sadness in his voice.

"Then, are they on their way?" she hesitantly asked.

"They're not coming." He turned his head away, looking at the smoking Time ship; remember how there had been another one that had crashed landed at a beach almost two years ago and the four people from the future he had met. He sighed deeply and lowered his head as memories of his former comrades flashed though his mind. Even after a year, he still missed them, though he couldn't help but wonder that, with the arrival of the new criminal, whether it would mean that they would be returning.

Sae was about to question him more about it when a hissing sound could be heard and they all turned to see Serperant getting to its feet, its tongue flicking in and out of its mouth.

"Stand back," Tatsuya said, to the Gaorangers, regaining his focus. "Let me handle this."

"You?" Gaku replied. "That's an Org. A Duke Org to be precise. I think _you_ should let us handle it."

"Org? What's an Org?" Tatsuya asked. He pointed at Serperant. "That's a member of the Londarz Family. A criminal. It's my job to capture him."

"No, that's an Org," Gaku said, getting increasingly frustrated. He took a step forward.

"Look, I don't know what an Org is, but that's a criminal and it's my job to arrest him. So get out of my way," Tatsuya shot back.

The two masked men stared at each other, looking as though they were ready to fight each other.

"Oi, guys." Sotaro jumped in between the two, his hands held up to stop them from jumping at each other. "This isn't the time," he said, looking from Gaku to Tatsuya.

"He's right," Kakeru agreed. "Let's just defeat this guy and argue about what he is after."

"We should work as a team, since we all have the same goal," Sae added. She placed her hand on Gaku's shoulder. "Yellow?"

"Fine," Gaku replied, folding his arms and looking away from Tatsuya.

Tatsuya hoisted his VolBlaster, pointing it at Serperant. "Fine by me," he said. "The quicker we get this done the better."

Kakeru turned to the other Gaorangers. "Guys."

They all nodded and took out their weapons, joining them together to form the Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken.

Tatsuya watched them for a moment, remembering how he, Yuuri, Ayase, Domon and Sion would join their Vol weapons together to form the Voltech Bazooka. He let out a heavy sigh. The last year he had tried to put thoughts of them, and of Naoto, behind him and he thought that he had succeed. But the appearance of Seperant, whom Taku had told him was a member of the Londarz Family, had brought all of those memories back to the surface and he couldn't help but wonder if, with the arrival of a wanted criminal, whether or not it meant that they would be returning. He focused back on the Gaorangers. He didn't know who they were, despite having briefly seen them before, but they appeared to have the same goals and motives as him in regards to Serperant and he thought it best, for now, to work with them.

"You ready?" Kakeru called to him.

"Yeah." He nodded in response, aiming his VolBlaster at Serperant once more.

They were about to fire at Serperant when they heard two voices and the sound of feet hurrying across the sand.

"Look, there he is," a female voice said.

"Tsue Tsue!" the Gaorangers cried, recognising the voice. They lowered the Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken upon seeing the Org priestess, who was accompanied by another Org. "Yabaiba!"

The two Orgs turned to see the Gaorangers and TimeRed, their weapons poised.

"Ah, quickly Yabaiba!" Tsue Tsue cried, scurrying quicker across the sand towards Serperant.

"Yes, yes, Tsue Tsue," Yabaiba said, hurrying after her.

"What are you doing?" Gaku shouted at the two.

"Ura-sama wants this Duke Org," Tsue Tsue said.

"Yes, said there's something special about him," Yabaiba added excitedly, only to be hit by his companion's staff. "Ow!"

"You shouldn't tell them things like that," she chastised him. She stood next to Serperant and gazed at his face before taking a step back. "Hey, Yabaiba, are you sure he's the one?" she whispered.

"Of course. Why?" Yabaiba jumped in front of Serperant. "Eww. I see what you mean," he said, recoiling upon seeing his disfigured face. He looked at the Gaorangers then at Tsue Tsue and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well," he said, "if they want him," he jabbed a thumb at the Gaorangers, "then that must mean this is the right guy."

Tsue Tsue nodded eagerly in agreement. She waved her staff and the three of them disappeared.

"Oi!" Tatsuya shouted, rushing forward as they disappeared. "Damn it." He kicked the sand in frustration.

"Thanks for that," Gaku snapped at him. "If you hadn't gotten in the way then we would have had him."

"Me?" Tatsuya turned around. "How is this my fault?"

Gaku took a step forward. "If you hadn't been so adamant that that Org was a member of the Lordis family–"

"Londarz family," Tatsuya hissed.

"Whatever. If you had just listened when we said that was an Org, then we could have defeated it before Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue got here."

Tatsuya shook his head. "That was member of the Londarz family."

Gaku groaned. "The fact that Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue, two Duke Orgs, were here is proof enough that it was a Duke Org. Why else would they be here?"

Tatsuya turned his head away. The yellow-clad Gaoranger had a point, but Taku was never wrong. Could it be possible that Serperant was both a member of the Londarz family and an Org? He sighed and made to leave the beach and report back to Taku when both the white and red Gaorangers stood in front of him.

"Where are you going?" Sae asked.

"I need to report back," he informed her.

"Report back to who? You said your team weren't here anymore," she said.

"They aren't. But I have a…" he thought for a moment, thinking of the best way to describe Taku without revealing that he was a robot from the future, "friend," he decided on.

"A friend? You let a civilian get involved?" Kai asked in surprise.

Tatsuya shook his head. "He's not a civilian. He's a… it doesn't matter." He pushed past Sae and Kakeru.

"Wait," the other Red called and he turned back. "Why don't you come with us?"

"What?"

"What?" Gaku gasped. "Red, you can't be serious. We can't."

"Why not? We could do with the extra help." He turned to Tatsuya. "What do you think? You could even bring your friend."

Tatsuya thought for a moment. He liked being back with a team. He knew that Taku wouldn't approve, but he missed being around others who weren't a robot. Eventually he nodded his head. "Okay."

"Great!" Kakeru clapped his hands together.

"Wait," Kai called, "we haven't introduced ourselves properly." He ended his transformation and held his hand out to Tatsuya. "Hi, I'm Samezu Kai, GaoBlue."

Tatsuya also ended his transformation as he shook Kai's hand. "Asami Tatsuya, TimeRed."

Kai smiled before stepping aside, allowing the others to introduce themselves as they also ended their transformations.

"Just so you know," Gaku said once he had properly introduced himself, "while we're on missions, we refer to each other by our colours, but since we've already got a Red, we'll just have to refer to you as Tatsuya."

Tatsuya nodded. "Okay, fine." He lifted his wrist and pressed his Chrono Changer. "Taku," he said speaking in to it.

"Tatsuya," a voice could be heard through the device. "Did you manage to capture Serperant?"

"I ran into a little bit of trouble," Tatsuya quickly explained. "Can you get down here?"

"I'm on my way," the voice of Taku replied and Tatsuya lowered his wrist.

"What's that?" Kai asked, pointing at the Chrono Changer.

"What, this?" Tatsuya lifted his wrist again and Kai nodded eagerly. "It's my Chrono Changer. It allows me to transform into TimeRed and also acts as a communication device."

"Wow."

"What about you?" Tatsuya then asked. "What do you use?"

Kakeru stepped forward, holding out his G-Phone, ignoring Gaku's warning look. "It's called a G-Phone and, from the sounds of it, works in the same way as your Chrono Changer. It allows us to transform into the Gaorangers and communicate with each other."

Tatsuya took the G-Phone and studied it, turning it over in his hands before flipping it open and then closed again. "It looks like a mobile phone," he commented, handing it back.

Kakeru nodded as Gaku said, "It's more subtle then your Chrono Changer."

Tatsuya's hand instinctively went to his Chrono Changer and he sighed.

They all stood in a tense silence, unsure of what to say to each other as they waited for the newcomer's friend. After a few minutes, a shout of "Tatsuya" was heard and they all looked to see a small robotic owl flying through the air.

"Taku," Tatsuya said, as the owl flew into his hands.

"Tatsuya, what's going on? Who are these people?" Taku asked, looking at the Gaorangers, who had their mouths open in surprise.

"They're the Gaorangers," Tatsuya said. He looked the six people, their mouths still ajar. "This is Taku."

Sotaro slowly pointed at Taku. "You have a Power Animal."

"Eh?" Tatsuya looked down at Taku confused. "What's a Power Animal?"

"A Power Animal is a physical manifestation of our planet's life-force. They're a holy power that protects the planet," Kakeru explained. "Each of us has a Power Animal and a Gao jewel for our respective animal, which they've entrusted to us." He held out GaoLion's Gao jewel for Tatsuya to looks at. "This is GaoLion's, my Power Animal," Kakeru stated.

Tatsuya looked at the Gao jewel before letting out a small laugh.

"I am not a Power Animal," Taku said disgruntled, as Tatsuya continued to laugh. "I am a navigator robot, designation Taku."

"A navigator robot?" Kai asked, curious.

"I have a database of all of the Londarz family in my database and I use this information to help the Timerangers re-capture them," Taku explained.

"But, you said you were a navigator robot, not a database robot," Kai pressed.

"That information is classified," Taku quickly responded and Kai frowned.

"So, you're the one who told Tatsuya there was a, what was it, a member of the Londarz family here?" Shirogane questioned.

"Yes. I have a database on all of the Londarz family."

"So, that Org that was just here, that was a member of the Londarz family?"

"I do not know what an Org is, but you are correct. That was a member of the Londarz family. Prisoner #5823, Serperant to be exact."

"Serperant?"

Taku looked at Tatsuya. "The question is, what is he doing here, now?"

Tatsuya turned around to face the Time ship. "We should check inside," he said. "See if we can find any information and to see if there were any more of the Londarz family inside."

"I agree."

Tatsuya headed towards the Time ship, Taku still in his arms when Kakeru called out to him and he turned around.

"Let us help you," Kakeru said. "We're working towards the same goal remember. We should work together."

"This is classified," Taku said.

"Let them," Tatsuya cut in. "Without the others here we'll need all the help we can get and they're another Super Sentai team."

Taku let out a reluctant sigh which Tatsuya translated as him giving his agreement and he led the Gaorangers across the sand and into the Time ship.

"What kind of ship is this?" Gaku asked as they approached it. "I don't recognise it."

"You wouldn't," Tatsuya replied.

Gaku reached out and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop and turn around. "But you do. You recognise this ship, don't you? You've seen one before."

Tatsuya sighed. He didn't want to reveal too much. He didn't want them to know that this ship was from the future, but he knew that, if they were to work together, they would have to know. "Yes, I've seen one before," he eventually replied and started to walk back across the sand, back towards the ship, the Gaorangers quickly following.

Tatsuya led them to the entrance of the ship, opening the door, which slid open, allowing them access into the ship.

The Gaorangers were in awe as they quietly followed Tatsuya and Taku through the dimly lit corridors. They didn't ask Tatsuya anything about the ship or where they were going, having realised that he appeared reluctant to discuss it and they had all come to a silent agreement that if they were to all work together, then they shouldn't do or say anything that would result in him not wanting their help. They also realised that with Tatsuya knowing where he was going, it was evident that not only had he seen one before, he had also been inside one and they all wondered what had happened to him and his team if he was so familiar with the layout of a criminal's vessel.

They had reached the end of the corridor and Tatsuya slid the door open and they followed him inside. The room was large and circular; five seats were placed around a circular consol table with a round podium at the end. Sae let out a small gasp upon seeing another robotic owl sat in the middle of the podium. It looked identical to Taku, except, instead of being a blue and white colour, this one was green and silver. Tatsuya walked straight over to it as the Gaorangers stood back and watched, not wanting to touch any of the equipment without knowing what was going on.

"Why are you here?" Tatsuya asked the new robotic owl.

The owl opened its eyes and blinked a couple of times. "I am navigator robot Hibiki."

"Why are you here?" Taku repeated Tatsuya's question.

Hibiki shifted its eyes, looking at Taku. "That information is classified."

Tatsuya let out a groan and placed Taku down next to Hibiki. He walked over to one of the consoles on the table and studied it, looking for information.

"What does it say?" Kai asked, unable to contain his excitement.

Tatsuya didn't respond, continuing to press buttons. A frown appeared on his face and, ignoring Kai's question, he walked back over to Taku.

"What is it?" the owl asked, seeing his expression.

"Do you know what today is?" he asked.

"February the third 2002."

Tatsuya nodded. "And do you remember what happened this time a year ago?" His voice was now hushed and the Gaorangers were straining their ears trying to hear what was being said.

The owl was silent for a moment as he closed his eyes and searched his database. His eyes suddenly opened. "Don Dolnero died."

Tatsuya nodded again. "I found information relating to his death in the ships memory. I'm guessing Serperant was sent back to ensure he didn't die, except he arrived one year too late."

Taku nodded. "How could the Londarz family make a mistake like that?"

Tatsuya shook his head. "I don't know, but now Serperant is with the, what the Gaorangers call, Orgs. I doubt he even realises he's in the wrong time."

"That could make this situation even worse," Taku said.

"I can't do this alone," Tatsuya muttered. "Without Yuuri and others here…" He looked over at the Gaorangers. "I'm going to have to work with them. They know about these Org creatures."

Taku nodded. "I agree." He looked at Tatsuya. "You must not let them know anything about the future."

"I know."

"But, with a member of the Londarz family loose in the past again, I am positive that they will send reinforcements."

"I hope so. But for now, I suggest we go back to the Gaorangers base." Taku nodded and hopped off of the podium, flying beside Tatsuya as he picked up Hibiki."You're coming with us." He then looked over at the Gaorangers.

"What's going on?" Gaku asked.

"I have a clearer understanding of why a member of the Londarz family is here," Tatsuya told them. "I will tell you more later, but for now I suggest we head back to your base. I will fill you in then." This gave him time to think about what he was going to say.

The Gaorangers nodded in response and were about to leave the room when a loud voice could be heard from outside of the ship.

"Londarz family!" the female voice shouted and they could all hear her voice clearly. "You are under arrest and are ordered to leave your ship. You have a minute to reveal yourself before we open fire."

Kakeru approached Tatsuya. "Who are they?" he asked. "They know this is a member of the Londarz family on this ship."

Tatsuya looked over at Taku. "They must be my reinforcements." He had recognised the voice, but couldn't place where he had heard it before.

Taku nodded. "They soon got here."

"What should we do?" Kai asked, running over to them.

"I suggest we leave the ship," Shirogane replied, looking at Tatsuya, "show them that we aren't who they are looking for."

"You have thirty seconds left!" the female voice shouted.

Tatsuya nodded and they all quickly left the room and ran down the corridors towards the exit of the ship. The sun blinded Tatsuya for a moment, making him stumble back, shielding his eyes. He heard Sae gasp.

"Identify yourselves," another voice called to him. As with the female voice, Tatsuya also recognised this one.

Tatsuya slowly lowered his arm and blinked a few times as the figure before him came into focus. The person was wearing a black leather jacket with a dark blue t-shirt underneath with dark jeans. He had brown hair and was pointing a gun at them. Tatsuya swallowed. Beyond the male in front of him, he could make out three other figures. One was dressed in a bright orange hooded jumper with khaki trousers and light green hair, another wore a pale yellow long sleeved top with brown trousers and had short brown hair, while the third was evidently a woman by the face the she was wearing a black leather skirt with a black jacket and white t-shirt with long dark brown hair, falling just below her shoulders with a fringe. He couldn't make out her face, but she appeared to be staring directly at him. He swallowed again, his breath caught in his throat as he began to realise who the newcomers were.

"Who are they?" Tatsuya heard Kai ask.

"T-Tatsuya?"

Tatsuya's eyes shifted away from the woman, back to the male in front of him and he let out a gasp. "Ayase?"

Ayase lowered his gun, a broad smile appearing on his face.

"Tatsuya-san!"

He turned to see two of the three other people running over to him, recognising them as Sion and Domon. "Sion! Domon!"

"Tatsuya-san!" Sion cried again, running into him and giving him a hug, making him nearly drop Hibiki.

"Tatsuya." Domon nodded at him, a smile on his face.

"Sion, Domon, Ayase." Tatsuya couldn't keep the smile from his face as he was reunited with the other Timerangers.

"Taku!" Sion suddenly cried, seeing the robotic owl.

"Sion." Taku flew into his arms as he let go of Tatsuya.

"I've missed you, Taku," Sion said.

Tatsuya smiled at their reunion, forgetting about the Gaorangers, who were watching the reunion with a mixture of emotions. Relief that Tatsuya knew the people who had momentarily threatened them; happiness at the reunion before them and confusion to not knowing who the newcomers were.

Tatsuya let out a laugh and shook his head. He couldn't believe that they were back. The Timerangers, they were all back together. Sion, Domon, Ayase. They were all here, which meant…

He lifted his head, remembering the fourth figure. She was now standing just before him, a nervous expression on her face.

"Tatsuya," she said softly, inclining her head slightly.

Sion stopped talking to Taku and turned around.

There was silence. Everyone, including the Gaorangers knew that this was an important moment between the two.

"Yuuri…"

* * *

><p><strong>My apologies that it's taken me a while to get this chapter up, but I got distracted. I have started chapter 4 and I have a week off (gotta love half term), so hopefully the next chapter will be up a bit quicker.<strong>

**So, there were a lot of characters introduced in this chapter and the Gaorangers have met up with all of the Timerangers. Hopefully things won't get too confusing with all of the characters that are going to be in this - there's going to be a lot, but most of them have been introduced.**

**Read and review**


	4. Quest 4

**Quest 4**

"Yuuri." Tatsuya's voice was almost as hushed as hers. He quickly passed Hibiki to Ayase before taking steps towards Yuuri.

Yuuri appeared to be conflicted as to what to do and she remained frozen for a moment before running the short distance into Tatsuya's arms. Her arms wrapped around him, her head resting on his chest, while he held her tightly to her.

Even after a year, seeing her again and being able to hold her again made Tatsuya realise how much he had missed her. He also knew that he still loved her. A year apart hadn't changed that. "I missed you," he whispered in her ear. He couldn't believe that she was actually here. She was back.

Yuuri's body shook slightly upon hearing his voice and he held onto her tighter. She had tried so desperately to push all thoughts of him out of mind, knowing that she would never have seen him again. But here he was. Here they were, together once more. He was holding her as he had when she had admitted that she loved him and she remembered how he had said that same words. She had known as soon as she saw him that, despite her efforts, her feelings for him hadn't changed and she also knew that his hadn't either. "I missed you too," she replied, her heart beating wilding in her chest and she could hear his doing the same.

The three other Timerangers smiled happily at the reunion, having known for a long time about how Tatsuya and Yuuri had felt for each other. Domon punched Ayase lightly on the shoulder, smiling broadly.

The Gaorangers, on the other hand, were sharing identical looks of confusion. They had guessed that the newcomers were Tatsuya's team members. Though they found it odd how Tatsuya had been alone, yet the other three had all arrived together.

After a couple of minutes in which Tatsuya and Yuuri were still holding onto each other tightly, as though afraid that if they let go, they would be separated once more, Kakeru approached the newcomer with green hair who was closest. If he remembered correctly, he had heard Tatsuya call him Sion. "Uh, excuse me," he began and Sion turned away from watching Tatsuya and Yuuri, "but who are you?"

"Oh!" Sion's smile grew wider. "I'm Sion."

Kakeru nodded. "I'm Kakeru." He held out his hand and after adjusting Taku in his arms, Sion shook it eagerly.

"I can't believe we're back. It's so exciting."

Kakeru nodded again, feeling increasingly confused. "Who are you?" he asked again.

"I'm Sion," he replied. He then held up Taku. "This is Taku." He pointed over at Ayase and Domon who were still watching Tatsuya and Yuuri, though Ayase's eyes kept flickering over to the Gaorangers. "That's Domon-san and Ayase-san, and that's Tatsuya-san and Yuuri-san." He finally pointed over at the couple. "We're Timerangers."

"You're Tatsuya's teammates?" Shirogane asked, joining with the conversation as the other Gaorangers walked over.

"Yep." Sion nodded enthusiastically. He let out a sigh and looked up at the blue sky. "I still can't believe we're back here and with Tatsuya-san." He then lowered his head and shook it sadly. "It's a shame Naoto's not here."

"Who's Naoto?" Sae asked curiously.

"That's not important," Ayase suddenly interrupted. He looked at Sion. "We're here to recapture Serperant, remember."

"I know." Sion sighed. "Where's Domon-san?"

Ayase, still holding onto Hibiki, jabbed his thumb back towards Tatsuya and Yuuri. "Gone to separate the lovebirds."

Sion peered around to see Domon approaching Tatsuya and Yuuri who had finally broken apart, though they now appeared to be having a private conversation since he was cradling her face. Domon jumped onto Tatsuya, making both him and Yuuri gasp in surprise. Domon then started talking, apparently reminding them that they had an audience as he indicated towards the Sion, Ayase and the Gaorangers. Yuuri nodded her head in response to Domon and after a couple more moments, the trio began walking over, Domon in-between Tatsuya and Yuuri. Both Tatsuya and Domon were wearing happy, smiling expressions, while Yuuri looked serious.

"Hello," Kakeru began once they were all standing together, bowing to the four new arrivals. "I'm Shishi Kakeru, GaoRed, the leader of the Gaorangers."

"You're Gaorangers?" Yuuri asked once all of the introductions had been made.

"Yes." Kakeru nodded. "And from what Tatsuya and Sion have told us, you're Timerangers."

Yuuri shot Tatsuya a questioning look, wondering how much he had told them. "We are," she replied, frowning.

"I can't believe we're going to be working with another Super Sentai team!" Sae and Kai cried happily at the same time and Sae grabbed hold of Yuuri's arm, startling her.

"I don't know what Tatsuya has told you, but we won't be working with you," Yuuri said, shaking her arm out of the other girl's grip.

"What?"

"It is our responsibility to recapture Serperant. Not yours. It would be best if you didn't interfere."

"Yuuri-san…" Sion stared at her in surprise.

"Hang on," Gaku began, "you need our help. This Serperant, he's with the Orgs and it's our job to take care of them. So you need us."

Yuuri paused for a moment. She had never heard of Orgs, but she knew that she couldn't let the Gaorangers get involved, get attached. "No," she said firmly and began to walk across the beach.

"You can't just let her decide like that," Gaku said, turning to the four male Timerangers.

Domon let out a heavy sigh. "She's the leader," he muttered.

Tatsuya watched her retreating back. "Yuuri, she has her reasons. But we'll talk to her. She'll come around," he told the Gaorangers and with that, he, Domon, Ayase and Sion began to follow Yuuri across the sand.

"Hang on," Kakeru called, "how do we get in contact with you?"

Tatsuya turned back around, but continued to walk. "We'll get in contact with you."

The six Gaorangers watched the Timerangers leave.

"What was that about?" Kai wondered, looking as his teammates.

Kakeru shook his head. "I don't know." He watched the departing Timerangers until they were out of the sight. "Come on," he said, "let's go back to Gao's Rock."

The Gaorangers nodded in agreement, feeling disheartened by the change of events. The thought of working alongside another Sentai team had excited them all, including Gaku.

"Do you think they'll be able to changer Yuuri's mind?" Kai asked as they walked back.

"I don't know. She looked pretty serious," Sotaro replied. "A bit like Yellow."

Kai looked over at Gaku, who hadn't heard their conversation. "That's a no, then."

"Look, we're fighting the same enemy. She'll understand soon enough that they need our help as much as we need theirs," Shirogane reassured them.

"Yeah." Kakeru clapped his hand on Kai's shoulder, smiling. "She'll come around."

Sae frowned and bit her lower lip. She hoped Kakeru was right.

G|T

"Yuuri!" Tatsuya called, trying to keep up with her footsteps. He let out an exasperated groan before running up to her and grabbing her shoulder, forcing her to stop and turn around. "What is the matter with you?"

Yuuri narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "What were you thinking?"

"Huh?" He looked at her in confusion.

"Agreeing to work with them," she explained.

"What? Yuuri, when I agreed I didn't think you were going to be coming back."

"So you made an agreement to work with people you don't know?"

"What choice did I have? I didn't think you were coming back," he said again.

"You could have waited."

"Yuuri…" He placed his other hand on her shoulder, but she instantly shrugged them off.

"Yuuri, we need their help. You know we do," Ayase told her. "We know nothing about these Orgs that Serperant is with."

She didn't respond. Instead she turned round and started walking again.

The four males exchanged looks before Tatsuya sighed and followed after her. He couldn't believe that their reunion had turned out like this. Rather then being a happy one with all of them reunited and him and Yuuri together, she had turned into something else. Like when they had first met, she was focused on only the mission and on not letting having outsiders involved. He understand her reasons on not involving the Gaorangers in that they couldn't find out that they were from the future, but they needed their help, especially since the Orgs had taken Serperant and they knew nothing about Orgs, unlike the Gaorangers. But he didn't understand why she was suddenly so cold and closed.

"So, Tatsuya-san," Sion said, breaking the tense silence that was forming, "how have you been?"

Tatsuya smiled as he began explaining what he had been up to over the past year, telling them that he was still living in their old apartment with Taku and Time Roboter and that he was still doing odd jobs helping people, as the other three explained how they had all been working in the Time Protection Bureau.

"Yo, Tatsuya," Domon suddenly said as they left the beach and began walking along the quiet road, "you seen Honami lately?"

"Eh…" Tatsuya was unsure of what to say. The last year he had been looking after Honami, Domon's ex-girlfriend – or was it still girlfriend, he wasn't sure, but he didn't know whether or not to tell him everything. "Yeah," he eventually replied, "I've seen her a few times."

"Is she alright?"

Tatsuya nodded in response, deciding to let Honami explain everything when she and Domon saw each other again.

"Good. That's good."

Silence fell upon the group. Despite being reunited, Yuuri's sullen attitude cast a dark cloud over all of them.

Tatsuya watched her as she crossed the road, heading into the wood on the other side, remembering how she been like this when they first met, always committed to getting the job done, catching the criminal. Over time, he had thought that she had opened up, but apparently being back in the future and then back in the past had resulted in her old attitude reappearing. "Hey," he eventually said as they left the road and began walking along through the wood, "what's she been like this past year?"

Ayase, who was walking alongside Tatsuya, looked back at Domon and Sion who were behind them. "She's been, well, Yuuri," he said, looking back at Tatsuya.

"She hasn't really said much about the past, about our time here," Sion added sadly.

Tatsuya nodded, wondering if, despite what she had said earlier, whether or not it meant that she hadn't missed him.

"I think she missed you, though," Sion said, as if reading his thoughts.

"Really?" He tried hard to keep the smile off of his face.

"She never said so. In fact, she barely mentioned you, but you could tell. If you saw her eyes when the past or you were mention, even when someone asked her why she hadn't settled down yet, you could see it. There was a sadness in her eyes and even though she had her family back, I don't think she really felt complete, so she did miss you, Tatsuya-san."

"You have to understand, Tatsuya," Ayase then said, "this is going to be hard."

"What do you mean?"

Ayase let out a sigh. "We're not staying. We're here to get Serperant and go back."

"Oh… yeah." Tatsuya lowered his head, knowing Ayase was right. As soon as Seprerant was caught they'd be leaving again.

"Maybe that's part of the reason why she wouldn't accept the Gaorangers' help," Sion added. "She didn't want to form any more bonds or attachments."

"You're probably right," Tatsuya replied, lifting his head to look at Yuuri, who was now a distance ahead of them. Yuuri had always been the type of person who wouldn't accept the help of others; she would rather rely on herself, but, if Sion was right, then he now understood her reasons and as much as he hated thinking about it, he now wished that she, they had never returned. It was going to be even harder to say goodbye a second time.

"Ah, we're back," Sion said, rushing past Tatsuya and Ayase, Taku still in his arms.

Tatsuya looked up to see another Time ship sat in the middle of the wood, surrounded by tall leafy trees. Unlike Serperant's, this one had landed perfectly.

"What, you didn't think we swam here did you?" Domon said, laughing, seeing Tatsuya's look of bewilderment.

"Eh…" Tatsuya blinked as Ayase clasped his shoulder, pushing him forward. He shook his head before following them into the Time ship.

It was identical to the one they had arrived in last time and to Serperant's in design and shape. Tatsuya walked down the corridor, following the others and arrived in the main room. Yuuri was already there, talking to another robotic owl. This one was a black and pale red colour.

"What can you tell me about 'Orgs'?" she asked the owl.

The owl blinked and turned its head to and fro. "There is another in my database about Orgs," it replied.

Yuuri sighed. "Nothing at all?"

"I am sorry," the owl replied.

"It's alright." Yuuri sank into a chair, her head in her hands. She let out a small groan of frustration.

"See," Tatsuya said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "this is why we need the Gaorangers help. We know nothing about these Orgs."

Yuuri lifted her head and shot him a look, one that made him glad that looks actually couldn't kill and she pushed his hand off of her and he frowned at her as she turned away from him.

"Yuuri." He crouched down in front of her. "What's going on, really?"

Without replying, she stood up and left the room. Tatsuya looked at the other three who gave him looks telling him to go after her and without a word, he stood up and followed her out of the room.

"Yuuri!" he shouted as he ran after her. "Yuuri!"

He caught up with her halfway down the corridor. He called to her again, but she ignored him and kept walking. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, making her stop and forcing her to turn around. "Yuuri," he said again, "what's going on?"

"Let go," she replied harshly, trying to shake off his grip.

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on."

She looked at him for a brief moment before lowering her head. "I can't do this," she said quietly. "I thought I could but I can't."

"What do you mean?" His voice was almost as quiet as hers. The hand that held onto her wrist slid down so that his hand was clasped around hers. His other hand rested on her upper arm.

She shook her head and pushed his arm off of hers. "You. This. I can't do it." She pursed her lips as he looked at her in slight confusion. "We can't do this. I can't do this knowing that we're going to be separated again."

"Ah." He looked away from her, knowing what she meant, what was the point of starting something between the two of them if it wasn't going to last. "But," he said, "that doesn't mean we can't try."

She looked up at him and he realised that he had the words out loud. "Tatsuya," she said softly and her eyes flickered as she looked at him due to their sudden close proximity.

"We can do this, Yuuri. We can try, can't we?" He closed the distance between them even more, so that he could almost feel her breath against his skin. "I missed you."

Their foreheads were almost touching when she suddenly darted out of the way. "I'm sorry, Tatsuya," she said and he could see that her eyes were watery and shining. "I just, I just can't do it." She tried to pull her hand free, but he held on to it tightly.

"Then what was all that about earlier?" he asked, referring to when they had been reunited.

She shook her head. "I was just so caught up with seeing you again," she replied, still trying to pull her hand free. "But I can't do this. I can't be with you and be hurt. Not again." She stopped struggling for a moment. "Tatsuya, please."

His grip on her hand loosened. She pulled her hand free and ran down the corridor, back towards the control room where everyone else was.

He leaned against the wall as he watched he leave, letting out a heavy sigh as he did so. He knew that she was right, but either way, they were still going to hurt at the end of it. After a couple of minutes, he pushed himself away from the wall and followed her footsteps back to the control room. As he entered, he saw that Ayase and Sion had placed Taku and Hibiki with the new robotic owl. Everyone apart from Yuuri, who deliberately looked at the third robotic owl, looked at him and he shrugged his shoulders in response to their unasked questions and they went back to what they were doing.

"What are we going to do?" Sion asked after a few minutes of silence, looking up from Taku at everyone.

"I don't know," Domon said. "There isn't really a lot we can do until Serperant resurfaces and who knows when that'll be. Plus, we can't even go looking for him, since we don't know where these Orgs that he's with are." He shot Yuuri a look as he said, but she ignored it.

"There is research that can be done," she replied, standing up from the chair she had been sat in.

"Research on what?" Domon retorted. "We know what we need to know about Serperant, but what we don't know – and can't find out – is about these Orgs, because you won't accept the Gaorangers help!"

"Domon-san!" Sion cried, as Yuuri scowled at him. "Yuuri-san has her reasons for not accepting their help. You know that."

Domon folded his arms and looked away. "Whatever."

Yuuri turned to Taku. "Is there nothing in your database about Orgs or the Gaorangers?" she asked him.

Taku closed his eyes, searching his database. He opened them. "Yes."

Yuuri's eyes widened as everyone turned to the navigator owl. "What do you know?" she asked.

"The Gaorangers are a six member team, who fight against the Orgs using their Power Animals. They live at a place called Gao's Rock. The Orgs are a tribe of Oni, who are born from the sadness of humans. They live in an underground cavern called the Matrix and are led by the Highness Duke Orgs. Their current leader is Highness Duke Org Ura," Taku informed them.

"So they live underground? Great, we can find them then," Domon said, punching his fist into his hand.

Taku shook his head. "I do not have knowledge as to where the entrance is."

"How is it you know about the Gaorangers and Orgs but Jikoku doesn't?" Ayase wondered.

"I do not know," Taku replied.

Yuuri bit her lower lip thoughtfully, remembering when Taku had had some of his database removed and that their previous commander, Captain Ryuya had done this deliberately. She wondered if it could be possible that it had happened again, but she didn't understand why and who would do it. "It doesn't matter at the moment," she said. "We can't do anything with that information anyway."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Domon asked, folding his arms again.

"I wouldn't mind looking around the city," Sion piped up. "I miss our old apartment and it would be nice to see Time Roboter again." He raised his hand to his pale green hair. "I also wouldn't mind changing my hair colour," he added.

Yuuri was about to reply when Ayase turned to her. "It couldn't hurt, right? I mean we've got nothing to do until Serperant reappears."

She thought for a moment. "Fine," she reluctantly replied.

"Great!" Domon smiled widely. "I might go and see Honami." He made a dash for the door.

"Domon, wait," Tatsuya called and he stopped and looked back. Tatsuya thought for a moment, still debating whether or not to tell him what he knew, but then changed his mind again. He knew it would be best that it came from Honami herself. He shook his head. "Nothing."

Domon looked at him and shook his head before running out of the room. The other Timerangers followed, Yuuri keeping a deliberate distance from Tatsuya as they left the Time ship with the three robotic owls inside and headed towards the city.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, I can't believe I actually managed to get another chapter completed before I went back to work. So, this week I managed a one-shot and a new chapter. I am actually impressed with myself.<strong>

**Read and Review**


	5. Quest 5

**Quest 5**

"I don't get it," Kai said as the disheartened Gaorangers headed back to Gao's Rock.

"What?" Sotaro asked, walking alongside his friend.

"Why they wouldn't accept our help. We know about the Orgs and we can help them."

"I don't think it's so much as _they_ won't accept our help, more _she_ won't," Shirogane replied. "I understand of course. She doesn't know us and therefore has no reason to trust us and accept our help."

"But we're like them," Sae said in an almost pleading tone, "surely that must mean something."

Shirogane shrugged his shoulders and she sighed.

"Either way," Kakeru said thoughtfully, looking up at the sky, "we'll be seeing them again."

They continued their journey back in an almost silent manner, punctuated occasionally by small bouts of discussions, mainly about the Timerangers, wondering who they were, what their respective colours were and who the Londarz family were.

As they walked, Kakeru noticed that Gaku had been silent. He turned to the former pilot. "What?"

Gaku looked at his leader in surprise. "What?"

"It's not like you to stay quiet," Kakeru said.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking," Gaku replied.

"About what, the Timerangers?"

Gaku nodded. "I don't get why you're so determined to want to team up with them," he said. "Like Silver said they know nothing about us, so why should they? But it's the same for us. We don't know anything about them, so why should we want to help them?"

Kakeru stared at him for a moment. "We have a common goal. They want to defeat Serperant like we want to defeat the Orgs and at the moment Serperant is with the Orgs, so it makes sense for us all to work together."

"So? We can easily take care of their Serpenta-thing."

Kakeru shook his head. "That's not the point. We don't know anything about him."

"So?"

Kakeru had to fight hard not to let out a groan of frustration. When Gaku had his mind set on something it was hard to deter him. "So, we can't fight an enemy we know nothing about."

Gaku shrugged his shoulders. "I still think we don't need their help."

"Yellow…" Kakeru muttered, trying not to let his annoyance with his team mate get the better of him.

They arrived back at Gao's Rock to see Tetomu waiting anxiously for them.

"How did it go?" she asked as they filed in and most of them sat at the large stone table, whilst Shirogane and Gaku leant against the wall, looking somewhat dejected. "What happened?" she asked, her concern evident as she saw their expressions. "Red?"

Kakeru looked at her. "The new Duke Org isn't an Org," he told her.

"What?"

"It's called Serperant and is a member of the Londarz family," he continued.

"Londarz family? I haven't heard of them," Tetomu said. "They aren't anything to do with the Orgs."

Kakeru nodded. "We also encountered another team."

"Another team? As in another Super Sentai team?" Excitement could be heard in her voice at the prospect of there being another team.

Kakeru nodded. "The Timerangers."

"Timerangers?" Tetomu thought for a moment. "Oh, I remember them."

"You've heard of them?" Sae asked in surprise.

Tetomu nodded eagerly. "Though I don't know much about them. But they were around about a year ago," she explained, "when buildings and people kept disappearing. I think everyone thought the world was going to end, but, they managed to stop it."

"I remember that," Kai said. "That was them?"

"Yes." Tetomu nodded, "and after that they just disappeared, until now."

"Wow," Sotaro muttered, leaning back in his seat.

Tetomu put a finger to her lips. "I always did wonder what happened to them," she said thoughtfully. A grin then spread across her face. "I'll have to ask them when I meet them," she said enthusiastically. "You will be working together after all."

"Yeah, about that," Kakeru muttered and Tetomu turned to him, tilting her head in confusion, "we aren't."

"What do you mean?"

Kakeru cleared his throat and shifted nervously in his seat. "The girl on their team, Yuuri, I think she was called, she won't work with us."

"And Yellow won't work with them," Sae added and Gaku shot her a look.

Tetomu turned to Gaku, her dress swishing around her. "Why?"

"I didn't say that," Gaku replied defensively. "I just don't get why everyone is so determined to work with them when they won't accept our help. If they don't want ours then why should we want theirs?"

"We're going up against an enemy we know nothing about," Kakeru said, standing up as his frustration began to get the better of him. "We need their help."

Gaku pushed himself away from the wall. "Why? We've gone up against worse and won. Why is now any different?"

"Because they know about this enemy. Why are you so against the idea of accepting their help?"

"I'm not. I just don't think that we need to work with them."

"Why? What about when we had help from other previous Sentais? You accepted their help then."

"We needed _their_ help. Our G-Phones led us to them, because they knew they could help us. Obviously, since the G-Phones haven't run off or anything, we don't need the Timerangers help!"

"Guys!" Shirogane jumped in between the two, before Kakeru had a chance to retort. "Calm down."

"Yeah," Sae added, standing up and walking around the table towards them. "We shouldn't be fighting."

"Whatever," Gaku muttered.

Tetomu frowned. "White and Silver are correct, you shouldn't be fighting. I do see both of your sides, but I have to agree with Red. You need to work with the Timerangers. I don't want you going up against an enemy you know nothing about and it is for that reason that I'm saying this." She looked at Kakeru. "Did they say know you can contact them?"

He shook his head. "No. They said that they would contact us."

Tetomu let out a heavy sigh. "Okay," she said. "I suggest you all get some rest and take this time to calm down." She directed the last bit at Gaku and Kakeru. The Gaorangers all nodded and left the alcove, leaving Tetomu alone. She let out another sigh as she stared at the still water of the shrine.

G|T

The Timerangers walked the city streets, back towards the apartment where they used to live and when Tatsuya continued to live. It was late afternoon, the sun beginning to set, casting orange and red streaks across the sky.

"It hasn't changed much," Sion noted as he looked around.

"No, not really," Tatsuya said. There were areas where missing buildings were being rebuilt, but other than that; the city remained vastly the same.

"Yo, Tatsuya," Domon said, clasping his hand on his shoulder, "do you think Honami will come round?"

"I don't know," Tatsuya replied, looking at him. "She's been quite busy lately. But I'll call her once we get to the apartment," he quickly reassuringly added, seeing Domon's disheartened look. He knew how desperately Domon wanted to see Honami, almost as much as he had wanted to see Yuuri again, but he wanted to hold off informing Honami of Domon's return, because he knew that they weren't going to be staying around for long. As soon as they had captured Serperant they were going to be returning to the future and he didn't want to reunite them knowing that that was going to happen. He hated the thought of being separated from Yuuri again, and, despite her present frame of mind, he still loved her and nothing was going to change that. He knew it would be the same for Domon and Honami. There was also the other variable that Domon had yet to know about, something that change his life but that would be left to Honami to decide whether or not he should know. Tatsuya let out a sigh and decided that he would call Honami once they were at the apartment, but that he would let her decide what to do; if she wanted to see him and introduce him to…

"Tatsuya-san," Sion said, interrupting his thoughts, "isn't this the building?" He was pointing at the tall, white-coloured building next to him.

Tatsuya looked up. "Oh, yeah, it is." He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't realised that they had arrived at their apartment building.

"I can't believe it's been a year since we were all here together," Ayase said, also looking up.

Domon nodded. "I'm glad this place survived Gein's attack. I would have hated having to stay somewhere else."

"There's no place like home," Yuuri muttered and Tatsuya quickly glanced at her. Her expression was blank as she hid her emotions and he couldn't help but wonder, as his darted away from her, towards the steps of the building, if she missed the past more then she was letting on.

"Come on," Tatsuya said, leading them up the steps and through the door. As he walked though the hallway, he quickly looked at the closed and locked door of the landlady's apartment. Following the attack on the city, the obnoxious landlady had left the city, deeming it to be too unsafe and Tatsuya had persuaded his father to buy the building for him, making him the landlord, though he never acted as such, allowing the other tenants to pay their rent to his father instead. As he looked away from the door, he knew he would never move into that apartment; his own held too many memories and this was the reason why he hadn't moved out, he wanted to keep a hold of those memories and not forget any of them.

As they walked towards their former apartment, the other Timerangers each felt a nervous excitement build within them. The thought of being back at their former home was almost too much for Sion to bear and he had to restrain himself from pushing past Tatsuya so that he would be back at the apartment.

"Here we are," Tatsuya said as he unlocked the door and opened it. He stood back, allowing the other four to enter.

The layout of the main room hadn't changed. The two sofas still sat either side of the coffee table, a desk sat against the wall in between the two bedrooms, an updated computer sat on it. The cabinet where they had kept the recaptured Londarz criminals was still there. The only major difference was that the cream-coloured walls were covered in photographs and upon closer inspection, they found that each of the pictures featured them, some were of the five of them and others were with Takizawa Naoto, TimeFire, though those were mainly older ones, taken before they had been Timerangers and featured just Tatsuya and Naoto.

"Wow," Domon commented, "it really hasn't changed much."

Tatsuya shrugged his shoulders. "I like it as it was."

Sion opened the door that lead to what had been the boys' room. Inside was a bunk bed with two single beds, one of which was made. "You've kept everything," he said, "even the bunk beds!"

Tatsuya shrugged his shoulders again and gave a small grin. "Like I said, I liked this place as it was." He looked at Yuuri. "I also left your room as it was," he told her and she gave a short nod in response.

"Hey!" Sion jumped in front of Tatsuya. "I thought you said Time Roboter was here."

"He is." He gave the room a quick sweep, looking for the small blue robot. "I expect he's hiding again."

"Hiding?"

"Yeah, he does it every now and then when he thinks strangers are here." He let out a sigh and approached the desk and opened the top drawer. "Time Roboter," Tatsuya said, "look who's here." He reached in a pulled out a blue object and placed it on the desk.

Sion crouched down. "Hello Time Roboter," he said.

The little blue robot opened his eyes and stared at Sion. "Everyone, you're back, time!" he cried joyfully as Sion picked him up and pressed him against his cheek in happiness.

"We came back," Sion replied, a broad smile on his face.

As everyone looked round the apartment, Tatsuya noticed that Yuuri was stood in her usual place by the window, looking out at the city. He approached her. He swallowed nervously. "How about we all stay here?" he suggested to her. She didn't respond, continuing to stare out at the city which was getting increasingly darker. "It's almost night and it's a long walk back to the Time ship. We could make this our base again and come up with a plan in the morning."

Yuuri slowly turned her head, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay," she replied. She made to leave but he grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"About what happened earlier," he began.

"You said my room was as I left it?" she said, cutting him off and he nodded, letting go of her arm, allowing her to leave and enter her bedroom. He was surprised that she didn't slam the door.

"Oi, Tatsuya, I thought you said you were going to call Honami." Domon's voice interrupted Tatsuya's thoughts about Yuuri's continued coldness towards him.

"Oh, yeah," he replied, not taking in what Domon said as he continued to stare at Yuuri's closed door. Domon followed his gaze.

"I wouldn't worry about her," he said seriously. "This is just her way of dealing with everything. She doesn't want to get attached again."

Tatsuya tore his gaze away and looked at Domon. "I know," he replied. "It's just, I wish she would open up to me about what she's feeling rather than cutting me out."

"You're the cause of what she's going through," Domon said. He gave a small smile before clasping his shoulder. "She'll come around eventually." Tatsuya nodded in response. "So, what about that phone call?"

Tatsuya nodded in response and walked over to the desk; Sion having taken Time Roboter over to the sofa, where Ayase was also sat, looking though the day's paper, and picked up the phone, Domon hovering over his shoulder in anticipation.

He took a breath, thinking of what to say as he picked up the receiver and dialled Honami's number. It rang a few times and he was beginning to think that she wasn't in when the lines connected and he could hear her voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Honami. It's Tatsuya."

"Tatsuya? Hi, is everything alright?"

"Umm." He wasn't sure of what to say. He looked at Domon who was looking excitedly nervous.

"Tatsuya?" Honami's voice sounded worried at the silence from the other end. "Are you still there?"

"Huh, yeah. Umm, yeah," he quickly replied.

"What's going on? You're starting to worry me."

"Sorry, it's just… I don't know how to say this…"

"Say what?"

"Dom–"

He was interrupted as Sion, who had been throwing Time Roboter in the air, threw him too high, sending the little robot soaring through the air, crying 'Time' as it flew, until it crashed into Domon, hitting him on the head. Domon let out a shout of "Sion!" as he rushed over and Sion could be heard repeatedly saying "Sorry Domon-san".

"Did I just hear Domon?" Honami's voice asked in panic.

"Uh, yeah. They came back Honami. Domon, Ayase, Sion, Yuuri, they all came back."

The line on the other end suddenly went silent.

"Honami?"

G|T

_Kakeru walked though the underground caverns. He had no idea where he was going, but he let his feet guide him. The underground paths were dimly lit and he could barely make anything out. All he knew was that he was that he was underground, surrounded by soiled walls. He could hear a faint dripping sound which increased the more he walked. He realised that he was walking towards the source of the dripping. A bright light suddenly appeared engulfing him and as he blinked, he found that he was outside, standing in a small stream of water which joined onto a river of water which was crashing noisily over the side of the cliff he was standing on. A vast forest could be seen stretching out before him. He turned around but found that was no cave entrance, making him wonder how he had ended up on the edge of a waterfall._

_He heard a loud cry of help coming from the below him. It took him a moment before he realised that there was someone hanging onto the cliff face below him. He ran to the edge, but couldn't see anyone. He heard the cry again and threw himself onto his stomach and cautiously leant over the edge as he heard the shout again. He still couldn't see anyone. He leant over further._

_There was a loud roar above him, making him jump in surprise._

"_GaoLion!" he gasped, recognising the sound._

_He made to get up and go to the power animal when something grabbed his hand, pulling him over the edge of the cliff._

_GaoLion let out another roar._

Kakeru jolted up in his bed, breathing heavily, clutching a hand to his chest. He raised his over hand to his head, wiping the sweat away as he struggled to regain his breath.

The dream, it had been so vivid. He shook his head. It felt like the one he had had the previous night, only this time, he could clearly remember it. GaoLion had been calling to him again, but he didn't know why. He couldn't help but wonder if the dreams had something to do with the arrival of Serperant and the Timerangers. He shook his head. _It could just be a coincidence_, he told himself. _It was just a dream_.

After a few minutes, when his heart had eventually slowed to its normal pace, he decided to go and speak to Tetomu about it. Even though he kept telling himself it was just a dream, he knew that she would want to know, especially since this was now the second time he had had a strange and unusual dream featuring GaoLion. He reached over for his G-Phone and flipped it open, looking at the time. 05.15. He frowned. It was the same time he had awoken the previous morning. He shook his head again. _No, it's just a coincidence. Your body is just remembers waking up this time yesterday_, he firmly told himself.

He swung himself out of his bed and began to creep silently across the room when he heard a shout of "Gah!" which made him jump and stumble against the end of Kai's bed, hitting his knee and making him hiss in pain.

Someone turned their light on, faintly illuminating the room.

"What's going on?" Sotaro asked, rubbing his eyes. He had been the one to turn his light on. He lowered his hands to see Kakeru on the floor, holding his knee and Gaku sitting up in his bed, breathing heavily.

"Red, what're you doing?" Kai asked groggily.

"I hit my knee," Kakeru said, rubbing it as he stood up. He looked over at Gaku. "Yellow over there made me jump."

Gaku, who was still breathing heavily, frowned at him.

"What were you shouting about?" Sotaro asked him.

"Nothing," Gaku replied. "Just had a bad dream."

This made Kakeru stand up straighter, ignoring the dull, thumping pain in his knee. "What do you mean 'a bad dream'?"

"Just what I said: I had a bad dream."

Kakeru limped over to him. "Did it involve you standing on the edge of a waterfall and you could hear someone shouting for help with GaoLion roaring in the distance and then you suddenly got pulled over the edge?"

Gaku thought for a moment, trying to recall his dream. "Yes," he said curiously, "but GaoLion wasn't in mine. GaoEagle was."

"I was having the same dream," Kai said. "I could hear someone calling for help. I then heard GaoShark as I leant over the edge and then I woke up because I heard Yellow shout."

"Same with me," Sotaro agreed, "but with GaoBison Why are we all having the same dream?"

"I don't know," Kakeru said, leaning on Gaku's bed. "But I had a dream last night. I couldn't remember it, but I do remember hearing GaoLion. White had a similar dream but with GaoTiger. I don't know about Silver, but I'm guessing he's been having similar dreams too."

"That happened to me last night, too," Kai said and Sotaro nodded in agreement, saying that he too had had a similar experience.

"But, it doesn't make any sense," Gaku said. "Why are we all having similar dreams? Why now?"

Kai and Sotaro shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders. They all looked at Kakeru.

"All I can think is that it has something to do with the Timerangers and Serperant. We started

Having these dreams the same day they show up. It might just be a coincidence…"

"But then again it might not," Shirogane said from the doorway, making them all jump.

"Silver, don't do that!" Kai cried, clutching his hand to his chest.

"Sorry." He fully entered the room. "I too have had similar dreams. Tetomu has called for us."

The five male Gaorangers entered the main alcove together to see Sae already sat at the stone table. She, like them (apart from Shirogane), was dressed in her pyjamas. She looked at them as they entered and gave them a small wave as she yawned.

"You all had the dreams again too," she said sleepily as they all sat at the table.

"Yeah," Kai said as he sat next to her. "Where's Tetomu?"

Sae waved her hand at the shrine as Tetomu appeared, a look of concern on her face.

"I have called you all together because you have all been having similar dreams again." She looked around at them as they nodded in agreement. "I believe that these dreams are acting as a warning. The power animals are warning you of a danger that is looming," she told them seriously. "I do also believe that this threat is linked to the arrival of Serperant and the Timerangers. It is important that you work with the Timerangers to prevent this threat."

"Apart from the threat, do you know what our dreams are telling us?" Sotaro asked.

Tetomu shook her head. "I don't."

The Gaorangers exchanged looks of concern, wondering what this upcoming threat was and why their power animals were so determined to warn them.

"Whatever it is," Kakeru said in response to Sotaro's question, "it can't be good." They all nodded in response and Kakeru turned to Gaku. "Do you now think we should work with the Timerangers?"

Gaku nodded in agreement, a look of unease on his face. "The only problem is persuading them to work with us."

* * *

><p><strong>So, the power animals are warning the Gaorangers of an upcoming danger and Gaku has finally been persuaded to work with the Timerangers, now all that is left is for Yuuri to come round too.<strong>

**I've been having a bit of trouble in writing the Gaorangers in this, but that's probably because I've got more to write about with the Timerangers, but hopefully, I'll be able to even it out.**

**Please read and review.**


	6. Quest 6

**Quest 6**

The bright, golden sun cast its warm rays across the city, signalling the start of a new day. All of the Gaorangers were still wide awake following the revelation that the dreams they were apparently all sharing were a result of their power animals warning them of an upcoming danger. None of them had been able to think about going back to sleep following their discussion with Tetomu.

During the early hours of the morning, as the sun had begun to rise, they had decided that, rather than wait for the Timerangers to contact them, they would go and find them. Though they didn't know where they were, the Gaorangers had come to the conclusion that the best place to start was at the crashed ship on the beach.

They left as soon as it was light enough and quickly travelled back to the beach, telling Tetomu that they would contact her if their either encounter the Timerangers or Serperant and the Orgs. They also told her that they would keep her updated if they found out where the Timerangers were.

The six Gaorangers arrived back at the quiet stretch of beach where Serperant's ship had crash landed. The area was silent apart from the sound of the waves quietly crashing against the sand and rocks, there with no signs that anyone had been there since they had left the previous day.

"I don't get how no one could have seen the ship crash," Kai commented.

"It's an isolated stretch of beach," Gaku replied. "The ship crashed in the cove and is hidden by the cliffs."

"Mmm." He nodded his head in response. "But how come no one saw the smoke? There was a lot of it."

"I don't know, maybe they did and thought it was kids messing about or a bonfire or something," Gaku said thoughtfully, though he had been wondering the same thing. They, and the Timerangers, couldn't have been the only ones to notice the crashed ship, but everyone agreed with what he said.

They approached the ship and stood where they had entered it the previous day. The door was closed.

"How do we get in?" Sotaro asked, searching the door for a handle or a device that would allow them access.

"How did Tatsuya open it?" Sae wondered, as she too studied the door.

Kakeru stepped forward and ran his hands over the walls of the ship next to the door. He remembered how, the previous day, Tatsuya had opened the door by placing his hand over a specific part of the wall next to it, a part that he was now trying to find. He repeatedly ran his hands over the dull white-painted metal. "How did Tatsuya do this?" he muttered to himself. He could feel the impatience of his comrades behind him increasing and he was about to give in when his hand ran over a piece of metal that he was sure he had already touched, and there was a hiss of air as the door into the ship slid open.

"Finally," he heard Gaku mutter and he shook his head.

"Where should we go?" Sae asked as they all looked in at the dimly lit passageway.

"I would suggest the control room," Shirogane said. "That's where we went yesterday. Maybe we can find answers there."

Kakeru nodded in agreement. It was definitely the best place to start. He allowed Shirogane to lead the way, following him back to the control room, the only room they had actually been in. He hoped they'd also be able to search the rest of the ship if their search in the control room proved fruitless. He was intrigued as to what mysteries were held within the bowels of the ship.

The ship was eerily quiet with the occasional sound of a loose wire sparking; a light flickered every now and then as they walked. They reached the control room and Shirogane opened the door by placing his hand on the control panel which was situated on the wall next to the door. The door opened with a hiss and they filed inside.

"Where do we start?" Sae asked, looking around the room.

"I don't know," Kakeru replied. "Maybe at the consol Tatsuya used yesterday?" He approached the consol and studied it. The screen was blank expect for a small icon in the corner. He looked around for a keyboard or mouse to use to click on the icon but there wasn't anything. He over his shoulder at the others behind him. "What do I do?"

Kai thought for a moment. "Tatsuya was pressing buttons on the screen," he said.

Kakeru stared for a moment. "_On_ the screen?"

Kai nodded eagerly. "I'm sure that's what he did."

Kakeru shook his head in confusion. He had never heard of being able to access information by pressing buttons on a computer screen without the use of a keyboard or mouse. He looked back at the screen. _It's worth a try_, he thought as he raised his hand and pressed his finger against the icon on the screen. For a moment nothing happened and he was about to let out a groan when the screen changed and the words _Time Ship Jikan. Welcome_ appeared. "Time ship?" he said out loud.

"Time ship? What's a Time ship?" Sae asked.

Gaku shrugged his shoulders. "It must belong to the same organisation the Timerangers work for. Hence the 'Time' reference," he suggested.

Kakeru nodded. That made sense to him. He looked back at the screen to see that it had changed again. It was now full of icons. He glanced over them. "What one do I press?" he asked.

Kai leant over his shoulder to have a look. "What about this one?" He stretched his arm across to press an icon entitled _Information_, but he stumbled and hit the icon entitled _Mission_ instead.

The screen instantly changed and all of the Gaorangers leant over to be able to read the information that came up.

_Time ship Jikan._

_Mission Report._

_(15__th__ March 3002)_

_To travel to the 3__rd__ of February 2002._

_To search for Don Dolnero._

_To assist Don Dolnero, Lila and Gein._

_Ensure Don Dolnero's safety._

_To destroy the Timerangers._

_Use any means necessary._

As they finished reading the short report, the Gaorangers stared at each other, their mouths open in surprise.

"3002? This is a ship from the future?" Kai gasped.

"That's not possible," Gaku replied. "Time travel isn't possible."

"But this ship, that creature, they're from the future. It says so on the screen," Sotaro replied, pointing at the information that was still on the screen.

"Maybe the Timerangers are also from the future," Sae said. "Imagine the things they would know."

"Who's Don Dolnero?" Sotaro asked, pointing at the name, as the others continued to discuss the possibilities of time travel.

"Must be a member of the Londarz family," Shirogane replied. "This must be instructions for Serperant."

Kakeru looked back at the screen and stared at the information. He couldn't believe that he was sat in a ship that was from the future, that he was going to battling a being and the people he had to convince to work with them, the Timerangers, could also be from the future.

He pressed the menu button in the corner of the screen, which led him back to the screen full of icons. He searched for a moment before finding one entitled _Personnel_. He pressed it and this brought up another screen which was filled with a list of occupational areas and occupations. He searched the list until he came across _Timerangers_. He pressed the icon and another screen came up. This one contained a list of six names:

_TimeRed: Asami Tatsuya_

_TimeBlue: Ayase_

_TimeYellow: Domon_

_TimeGreen: Sion_

_TimePink: Yuuri_

_TimeFire: Takizawa Naoto_

"Hey, guys, look at this." He beckoned the other Gaorangers over.

"There are six of them?" Gaku said. "Where's the sixth one been?" He pointed at Naoto's name and Kakeru pressed it.

Information regarding Naoto came up, along with a photograph, and they read his background, when he was born, where he lived and about how he was friends with Tatsuya, about how he led the City Guardians and about how he came into possession of the DV Defender. It also mentioned that he had died, though there were no specifics relating to this.

"He died," Sae said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, almost a year ago," Shirogane replied, reading the information.

"But he isn't from the future," Gaku said. "This states that he was born in 1973."

"So maybe the Timerangers aren't from the future," Sotaro suggested and Kakeru nodded, going back to the list of names and clicked on the next name up, Yuuri's.

As with Naoto's profile, Yuuri's depicted a photograph of her, along with the details of her past, such as the date she was born, the year she joined the Time Protection Bureau, along with other personal and previous mission details.

Upon seeing that Yuuri was born in the year 2980, they all let out a gasp.

"Oh my God!"

"She's from the future," Kai said, voicing all of their thoughts.

They quickly went through Sion, Domon and Ayase's, discovering that as well as being born in 2985, Sion was also from the planet Hubbard and that both Domon and Sion were born in 2979. The six Gaorangers read the profiles in surprise and were surprised to see, when they reached Tatsuya's profile, that he was born in 1979.

"I can't believe it," Kakeru said, leaning back, away from the consol. "Four of them are from the future."

"And one's an alien. I've never heard of a planet called Hubbard," Kai said, shocked.

"At least we now know why they're called 'Timerangers'," Sotaro commented.

"Imagine what they know," Kai said in wonder. "I wonder what Earth is like a thousand years in the future." A sudden thought hit him. "Do you think they'll know what happens to us? Whether or not we defeat the Orgs?"

The other Gaorangers stared at him, as they too realised that there was a chance that the Timerangers would know about their futures.

"It's possible," Gaku replied. He looked around at the different consol stations. "The information might even be on this ship."

This set up a frenzy of activity as Gaku, Kai, Sotaro and Sae each ran to a different consol around the room. Kakeru looked over at Shirogane who hadn't moved.

"I'd rather not know," Shirogane said in response to Kakeru's unasked question about why he hadn't moved.

Kakeru moved away from the consol. "Me too," he said. "I don't want to know about my future."

Shirogane nodded. He watched his four team mates frantically search for the information they wanted. "Do you think they should be doing that?" he asked, watching press random buttons on their respective screens. "They might damage something, or alert someone to what they're doing."

G|T

The five Timerangers had all arrived back at their Time ship, _Mirai_, located in the middle of a forest on the outskirts of the city. Tatsuya had managed to persuade Yuuri to make the apartment their main base of operations again and they were at the Time ship to collect the three navigator owls along with the other necessary equipment that they would need, though they had yet to come to a decision as to whether or not to work with the Gaorangers.

Following his conversation with Honami the previous night, Tatsuya had told Domon that she would be coming around later in the day, though he didn't tell her that it was so she could think of what to tell him. Domon had looked crestfallen at the thought of having to wait another day until he could see, but agreed.

Just as they were about to leave with what they needed, one of the consol screens lit up and began flashing.

"What's that?" Sion, who was carrying Taku, asked.

"Someone's at the other Time ship," Taku replied. "Whoever it is, they're trying to access classified information."

"What kind of information?" Yuuri, who had Jikoku in her arms, asked.

"Information about the future."

Yuuri looked at the others. "It must be Serperant," she said.

They all nodded and quickly ran out of the ship, leaving everything, including the three owls, behind.

They ran as fast they could back to the other Time ship, which looked exactly as they had left it, expect for the entrance door being open.

Cautiously, they entered the ship. There were no signs of life inside.

"Maybe Serperant's already gone," Sion whispered.

"Maybe. Or maybe he heard us and is hiding," Ayase replied. He looked over at Yuuri. "If that's the case, maybe we should split up?"

She nodded in agreement and stopped at a fork between the corridors. "Three of us go one way and two of us the other," she told them.

"Right, me, Sion and Ayase will go that way," Domon said, grabbing the other two by their collars, pulling them down one of the corridors before anyone had a chance to say anything, leaving Tatsuya and Yuuri alone.

Tatsuya gave her a small smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they planned this."

Her eyes flickered at him for a brief moment before she started walking down the corridor. Tatsuya let out a heavy sigh and followed silently after her. He wished that she would just talk to him. He understood her reasons for keeping her distance from him, that they were going to eventually be parted again and that she didn't want to get attached again, but he had hoped that she would make use of the time that they had together.

They were walking along the passage way that would eventually lead to the control room. The silence between them was becoming almost too much for Tatsuya to bear. He just wanted her to talk to him. That was all he wanted. In the end, he couldn't take the distance and silence any more. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back, making her stop.

"What are you doing?" She spun around to face him. He didn't let go of her wrist.

"This is getting stupid," he told her. "You can't keep shutting me out. We have to talk about this."

"Talk about what? And I'm not shutting you out," she replied. "This isn't the time to be talking about this."

"Yuuri, we're talking about it now. You can't keep putting it off."

"We're in the middle of a mission, Tatsuya. We'll talk about it later."

He shook his head. "No. We're talking about it now. If we don't then we may not get another chance."

Yuuri let out a sigh of frustration as she relented. "Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"Uh…" He stared at her, surprised that she had actually given in and agreed to talk. She raised an eyebrow in impatience and he caught her look. "About you… and me. About us," he eventually said.

"Us?"

He nodded. "Yeah, us."

She frowned at him. "Then there isn't anything to talk about." She made to turn and walk away, but Tatsuya still had a grip on her wrist. He grabbed her shoulder with his other hand, holding her in place. "Let me go."

He shook his head. "You can't keep doing this. You can't keep hiding behind your walls and you can't keep shutting me out."

"Yes I can," she replied. "I can do whatever I want."

"Yuuri, please…" His voice softened. "Why can't you just let me in?"

She stared at him, biting her lower lip. "I can't," she whispered.

He looked at her, their eyes meeting. "Why not?"

She blinked and looked away. "I just can't." Her voice was lower than before.

"You're doing it again," Tatsuya said, his frustration rising. "You're shutting me out. Just tell me."

"Because it's too hard," Yuuri said, her voice beginning to break.

Tatsuya moved the hand that was on her shoulder to her cheek, making her turn her head so that she was looking at him, her eyes were brimmed with tears. "What's too hard?"

"I can't lose you again."

He stared at her, shocked by her admission. He hadn't realised how much she had really missed him. "Yuuri," he began, "that's why–"

She nodded, cutting him off. "I just didn't want to go through it again, it hurt too much and I thought that by distancing myself from you then I could prevent it, but I just ended up hurting both of us."

"Yuuri…" He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as she responded, placing her arms around his neck, burying her head into his shoulder. "So, does this mean…?" he asked after a few moments.

She raised her head to look at him. A small smile formed on her lips as she nodded her head. He smiled back, happily and lowered his head down towards hers.

A crashing sound from behind them made them both jump and Yuuri turned, looking towards the direction of the sound.

"What was that?" Tatsuya asked, letting go of her.

"It must be Serperant," Yuuri replied. "He must not have realised we're here."

They crept down the corridor, Tatsuya silently saying that he was going to murder Serperant for ruining his moment with Yuuri. They came to the nearest room, which was the control room.

"He must still be trying to access information," Tatsuya muttered to her and she nodded in response as they positioned themselves either side of the closed door.

Yuuri raised her hand to the control pad to access the door. "You ready?"

He nodded and watched as she counted to three before opening the door. Tatsuya jumped into the room. "What?"

"Tatsuya?"

The Gaorangers stared at Tatsuya and Yuuri, who stood in the doorway, all of them wearing looks of surprise.

"What are you doing in here?" Tatsuya asked, still surprised to see the Gaorangers rather than Serperant.

"We were… uh…" Kakeru stuttered.

"How did you know we were here?" Shirogane asked.

Yuuri walked over to the nearest consol, where Sae was stood. She looked at the screen and frowned. She looked at Sae. "Why are you trying to access classified information?"

"I… um…" She looked over at Kakeru for help.

"We didn't know how to contact you, so we thought we'd try and find a way here," he said, "but we didn't."

"So you thought you'd try and access classified information instead?"

"We didn't mean to," Kakeru replied. "We were looking and we just stumbled across it."

"We know you're from the future," Kai said, unable to keep his enthusiasm hidden and Yuuri's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know how to respond to that.

"We also know that Naoto, TimeFire, died," Sae added. "I'm sorry."

Tatsuya frowned at this. Naoto had been his friend and despite their differences, he still missed him.

"You had no right looking up that information," Yuuri snapped.

"We didn't have much of a choice," Gaku replied, stepping forward. "How are we supposed to work with you if we don't know anything about you?"

"We're not working with you," Yuuri replied. She turned to Tatsuya. "Contact Ayase and the others. Tell them Serperant isn't here and that we're leaving."

Tatsuya nodded, not even bothering to argue with her. He felt angry that the Gaorangers had looked up information about them. He raised his Chrono Changer and began to talk to Ayase.

"Why are you still saying that you won't work with us?" Gaku asked.

"We don't need your help and it's obvious that we can't trust you," Yuuri replied, anger could be clearly heard in her voice. "You had no right to look up that information."

"We can't help that we were curious," Gaku responded. "We knew nothing about you."

"And you didn't need to know anything."

"Don't you think we had a right to know you were from the future?" Gaku asked, stepping forward so that he was mere metres from her. "You know things about the future, you know things about us."

Yuuri let out a short laugh. "We don't know anything about you," she replied. "And you're not supposed to know anything about the future."

"Why not?" Kai asked.

She turned to look at him. "Because it could change history," she replied simply. She looked over at Tatsuya, who had finished talking to Ayase. He nodded at her. "We're going," she said and made to leave the room when a blast hit the front of the Time ship, throwing them all the ground.

"What was that?" Sae asked, lifting her head and looking around at the others.

Tatsuya quickly got to his feet and ran over to Yuuri. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah." He helped her to her feet. "That must be Serperant," she said and he nodded in response, both of them running out of the control room, leaving the Gaorangers behind.

"Come on," Kakeru ordered them, as he too got to his feet and ran after Tatsuya and Yuuri, closely followed by the other Gaorangers.

The late afternoon sun blinded Kakeru as he exited the ship and once his eyes had adjusted to the bright light, he saw the five Timerangers standing just before him and a short distance in front of them stood Seperant flanked by Tsue Tsue, Yabaiba and just behind Serperant stood a large green creature with a nose-shaped upper body with enormous ears sticking out either side of its back, multiple hoops running down them. The creature also had blood red nails, a long golden cloak and a horn pointing up out of its forehead. It let out a high pitched laugh.

"Ura" Shirogane breathed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.<strong>

**There's finally going to be some action next chapter and this story is finally getting going.**

**So, the Gaorangers have found that the Timerangers are from the future and there's finally been a break through with Tatsuya and Yuuri. And Ura's arrived on the scene.**

**Please read and review.**


	7. Quest 7

**Quest 7**

Serperant let out a snarl as he followed Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba through the underground tunnels of the Matrix, the noise startling the two Duke Orgs, making them walk quicker to the Matrix where Ura was waiting for them.

Tsue Tsue glanced behind her. "Are you sure about him?" she asked nervously, gesturing to the creature walking behind them.

Yabaiba followed her movement. "Why are you asking me? Ura-sama said we were to get him."

"I know, but there's something… he gives me the chills." She shivered slightly.

"Yeah," Yabaiba agreed, walking quicker so as to be rid of Serperant.

As the two Duke Orgs spoke in hushed voices to each other and cast weary looks in his direction, Serperant continued silently walking, ignoring the pair. He didn't know who the two were or if they were part of the Londarz family, but he knew that they weren't the enemy. The others were. He had recognised the name of Time Red and had gathered that those he was with were also the enemy. He had willingly allowed the two creatures to take him in the hope that this 'Ura-sama' would help him find Don Dolnero.

Serperant snarled in frustration at the lack of information he had been given prior to his trip back. He liked to have all the necessary information before hand, allowing him plenty of time to plan his attack, but this time he had nothing and he didn't like it. All he knew was that he had been unfrozen after a year and half of captivity and before having time to adjust to his new breath of life, he had been snuck into the Time Protection Bureau and onto a Time ship. He had also been told where Don Dolnero could be found, but he hadn't had a chance to head to that location since he, unable to fly the Time ship, had crashed at the beach where moments after he had stumbled out in a disorientated daze had been set upon by a group he had heard were called 'Gaorangers' before they were joined by Time Red. He had then been 'rescued', as the two creatures in front of him put it, and had decided to accept their help and allowed himself to be taken to 'Ura-sama' on the basis that he would be given help in tracking down and saving Don Dolnero from being killed. He hadn't been told of any of the specifics about the head of the Londarz family's death, but he knew that the Timerangers had to be involved and since the Timerangers appeared to have teamed up with the other group at the beach who seemed to be fighting against the two he was currently with, by joining with 'Ura-sama', he, and Don Dolnero, would have extra help in defeating the Timerangers.

His tongue flicked in and out of his mouth as he realised that he was longer in a tunnel, but in a large cavern. His tongue also alerted him to the presence of another.

"Ura-sama," he heard the female creature, whom he had heard be called Tsue Tsue, said.

Serperant could sense a large creature standing in the middle of a vast cavern, with statues adorning the walls. He could also sense that there was a larger statue centric to the room and he could feel the warm smoke pouring out of it. There was a putrid smell that almost made his nose burn and there was a disgusting taste in the air.

Seperant heard a shift in movement a few paces in front of him and assumed that this 'Ura-sama' was moving upon hearing the female's voice.

"Ah, this must be our guest," a voice, deep, unlike Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba's high-pitched ones, said and Seperant guessed that the person speaking was 'Ura-sama'. "I am Ura," the figure introduced. Serperant heard the figure approach him. "You are not an Org yet you look like one. How is this possible?" he mused to himself.

Serperant snarled in response, letting his tongue flicker in and out. He was not an Org. He was a member of the Londarz family.

"W-we're not sure," Tsue Tsue stuttered. "He was near this strange craft, but the Gaorangers and someone else wanted him."

Seperant heard Ura let out a growl. "Gaorangers," he spat and Serperant then heard him move, turning towards the voice of Tsue Tsue. "Hhmm? Who was this someone else?"

"We don't know, but he looked like Gao Red except his outfit looked a bit different," Yabaiba quickly replied.

Ura let out another growl. "It is no matter," he said. "With this new, um, guy working alongside us we shall easily destroy the Gaorangers and those that work with them."

Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue clapped their hands in excitement, letting out shrill cries of delight as Ura turned back to Serperant.

"Now my friend," he began curiously, "who are you?"

Serperant let out another snarl. Didn't this Ura realise he couldn't talk or see? He only ever followed orders, making up plans as he went along and this 'Org' was expecting him to communicate with him, something he had never done after having his eyes sewn together in punishment, allowing him to reinforce his other senses.

"Hhm, not much of a talker," Ura said, more to himself and Serperant hissed in anger. "If you won't tell me your secrets then I'll have to find another way of obtaining them."

Tsue Tsue scurried over to Ura. "Ura-sama," she whispered, "are you sure about him?"

Ura turned with such force that Tsue Tsue took a step back. "Do not question me," he snapped at her. "I know exactly how our guest can help us destroy the Gaorangers."

Tsue Tsue bowed to him, backing away as she did so. "Of course, Ura-sama." She continued to walk back until she was next to Yabaiba.

"Tsue Tsue," he said worryingly, but she shook her head at him. They both knew better then to anger the Highness Duke Org.

Ura turned back to Serperant. "Come," he said, "and I will show you around the Matrix."

G|T

Serperant flicked his tongue in frustration. He had spent what felt like an eternity in the company of idiots. After Ura had shown him around the Matrix, something the Londarz family member still didn't understand the purpose of since he couldn't see, the Highness Duke Org and his two followers had begun devising a plan in which to destroy the Gaorangers and from the description he had heard, he assumed that they were similar to the Timerangers.

It was times like these that Serperant wished that he could talk. The plan was futile and pointless, more likely to result in the destruction of themselves rather than the Gaorangers. The plan was to lure the Gaorangers out by appearing together out in the open and engaging them in a fight.

As soon as he had heard this plan, Serperant knew that it would be a waste of time considering how incompetent these Orgs appeared to be. A better plan would to pick them off one at time in sniper attacks, his speciality, but since he couldn't communicate this, he knew he would end up having to follow the plan, unless… Unless Serperant was to take matters into his own hands.

He resisted the temptation to reach round to his back and feel the smooth and slim long-range sniper gun hidden under his robes, his long sword lying directly over the gun, helping to conceal the jut the gun caused against his back. The Orgs knew that he was armed, but they just thought it that his sword was his only weapon and he was half tempted to use the weapon and cut off their heads, something he had done to many of his victims, because he was getting so frustrated with their stupidity.

He had no concept of the time of day underground in the Matrix, but he figured that a few hours had passed and that it was nearly morning. The three Orgs had long retreated to their respective chambers buried somewhere within the Matrix, leaving Serperant to his thoughts and allowing his anger and frustration to build. If he had his way, he would have abandoned the Orgs long ago and sought out Don Dolnero on his own, but he knew that that would be futile. He had no idea where the Don was located and since he had way to communicate his desires to the stupid Orgs, he had to tag along with them in the hope that the Don, Lila, Gein or any other member of the Londarz family would put in an appearance and he could complete his mission and if he was lucky, as well as taking out the Gaorangers, the Orgs could also remove the Timerangers. But, he knew that was wishful thinking considering the plan that they had thought up.

His tongue flicked in and out, tasting the putrid air. He couldn't wait to be back out in the open. He didn't understand how the Orgs could put with the smell. It was vile and sickening, making him long for the fresh clean air of the year 3001. He longed to be back there, committing his crimes and taking care of those who got in his way with precision and ease. He hated being on a rescue mission, stuck in the past and surrounded by incompetent fools. The only reason he was committed to the mission was, not just to ensure the Don's safety, but so that he could return to the future and be free of the Londarz family to whom he was indebted and to be free to commit crimes and murder innocents of his own accord.

After what felt like eons, Serperant finally heard movement coming from one of the chambers that the Orgs had retreated into and, if he remembered correctly, it was the one Tsue Tsue had resided in. He could hear the Duchess Org groaning as she stretched out her body, hearing the occasionally crack of a bone as she stretched, groaning as she did so.

Tsue Tsue shuffled into the main cavern of the Matrix. She was looking forward to today, since it was the day that they were finally going to defeat the Gaorangers and she didn't want to miss a second of it. She rubbed her eyes as she began to take in her surroundings and she started upon seeing the hooded figure crouched in the corner. She had forgotten all about the mysterious newcomer. He was a figure who intrigued yet terrified her.

The figure hadn't moved, not even a muscle or a flick of his tongue and she cautiously crept closer to him, wondering if he was asleep. As she approached him, she remembered the sword strapped to his back and her curiosity of him intensified. She felt her fingers itching to touch the scabbard of the sword and to feel the smooth metal of the blade. She also thought that the sword might give a clue as to who he was and where he was from.

She swallowed nervously as she etched closer, adjusting her grip on her staff as her other hand reached out for his shoulder to grasp the strap that held the scabbard to his back. Her long fingers were millimetres away when Serperant let out a low hiss and turned his head towards her hand his tongue flickering once and she shivered as she felt his warm breath against her skin as she resisted the urge to cry out and show her surprise.

"T-there was a fly," she quickly said, covering her motives and intentions, as she stood back away from him.

Serperant let out another hiss as he got to his feet. He knew exactly what Tsue Tsue had been up to and knew that he had made the right choice in not trusting them – not that he would anyway. He was relieved, however, that the three Orgs were finally beginning to rise as he had been beginning to wonder if they slept for days on end. He wanted this to be over and done with as soon as possible so that he could get back to his mission and help Don Dolnero.

He heard Tsue Tuse shuffle around the cavern before she let out a high-pitched noise, that made him hiss as he cringed at the sound, and he heard the sharp sound of bones cracking making him assume that she was stretching again. He then let out another hiss of frustration as she began humming and singing to herself, making him deeply wish that he didn't have to rely on the creatures for information and assistance. He found himself increasingly longing for the moment when he could use his sword to slice through their necks.

After a few minutes of listening to the tortuous noise coming from Tsue Tsue, his ears picked up the sound of movement from Yabaiba's chamber and he let out a sigh of relief as Yabaiba could be heard getting closer.

Tsue Tsue had also heard Yabaiba coming and Serperant heard the swish of her dress as she turned in the direction of the Duke Org. "Yabaiba!" she called excitedly.

Serperant heard the Duke Org enter the cavern. "Ah, Tsue Tsue!"

The Londarz family member heard the two greet each other in, what to him, was an over-exuberant manner as he could hear the two of them jump up and down with excitement. His tongue flicked menacingly. He was becoming increasingly frustrated with the pair's childish antics. The only pleasure and satisfaction he got from the two was the fact that they were afraid of him. Not because of what he could do, since they still had no idea of what he was capable of, but because they knew nothing about him. To them, he was a silent and potentially deadly being and he liked it that way. Casting fear in the hearts of people – or in this case, Orgs – was something that empowered him and he prided himself on being a feared being.

"Is he asleep?" Yabaiba asked, approaching Serperant who didn't move.

"No, he's awake," Tsue Tsue replied in a hushed voice and Serperant resisted a smile at hearing the fear in her voice.

"Has he been sat there all night?" Yabaiba's voice matched Tsue Tsue's, both of them now talking in hushed tones.

"Probably."

Yabaiba let out a shiver. "He gives me the creeps," he said.

Tsue Tsue nodded her head. "Me too," she agreed, rubbing the hand that wasn't holding her staff on her arm in an attempt to rid herself of the chill that ran through her. "You know," she whispered to her comrade, "I don't think he's an Org."

Yabaiba stared at her. "What do you mean? Of course he's an Org."

Tsue Tuse shook her head. "Then why do we know nothing about him? We know all of the Orgs, so why not him?"

Yabaiba stared at her. She was right.

"There's also that newcomer who's working with the Gaorangers," she continued. "They both show up at the same time, so surely the newcomer is tracking our 'Org' friend." She held up her hands as she air quoted 'Org'.

Serperant resisted the painful urge to shake his head. They were talking about a topic that had been discussed countless times the previous night. As well as stupid, they were also forgetful. He sank back into a stupor as the two Orgs continued going over what had been discussed the previous night as they waited for Ura to awaken so that they could put their pointless and tedious plan into motion. No matter how many times he went over it, unless he conducted a sneak attack, they were going to lose, especially considering they weren't going to up against just the Gaorangers. Serperant knew that his break-in at the Time Protection Beauru and subsequent stealing of a Time ship would result in all of the Timerangers being sent back to capture him, not just Time Red, meaning that they would be up against eleven people, not six or seven if the Orgs had counted Time Red. No, he knew all eleven would appear and he was prepared.

The wonderful thing about being blind was that you had no concept of time, but at the same time, it would feel as if short periods of time were much longer and despite using all of his senses to form a layout of the Matrix, Serperant constantly found himself bored. He didn't need to sleep, as long as he rested, or eat. All he needed was the occasional drink which he had taken during the night from the small trickle in the corner of the cavern that he doubted any of the Orgs knew existed. But the long periods of boredom left him feeling increasingly aggravated and he longed for Ura to arise so that the foolish plan could be put into motion rather than listen to the whimsical musings of the two Orgs currently inhabiting the cavern with him.

After a long while, in which he had continuously delved into his thoughts, Serperant could hear Ura moving about somewhere deep with the Matrix and a small smile formed on his lips as his tongue flickered happily. _Finally_.

Ura approached the main cavern of the Matrix, his cloak swishing behind him as he moved. Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba, who hadn't heard him coming, quickly stopped their hissed conversation as the Highness Duke Org entered the cavern.

"Ura-sama!" The two Orgs bowed to him.

"You're awake." Tsue Tsue ran eagerly over to him.

"I am," Ura replied. "I see our guest is also awake." He looked at Serperant who stood up, his muscles stretching as he did so.

Tsue Tsue wearily followed the Highness Duke Org's gaze, stepping behind him. "Yes," she said.

"Good, good," Ura replied, walking over to him, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba following closely. He smiled at Serperant who returned the gesture with a soft hiss, though inside all he felt was frustration. Ura removed his fan from his cloak and spread it open, gently fanning himself. "I see no reason to delay," he said.

"Delay?" Yabaiba asked curiously.

"Yes. I believe there is no point in keeping the Gaorangers waiting any longer. I am sure that are eager to get their hands on our friend here." Ura clasped a hand on Serperant's shoulder and he resisted the urge to push the disgusting, putrid hand off of him.

Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue clapped their hands excitedly, while Serperant just allowed his tongue to flick out once. He knew he was being used to lure the Gaorangers out, something that he wasn't overly happy with, but as long as he was able to have his plans come together, he didn't care. All he cared about was fulfilling his duty of protecting Don Dolnero and getting back home. He didn't care what happened or who got hurt in the process.

Ura closed the fan, placing it back into his cloak. "Come," he said. "Let us pay the Gaorangers a little visit."

With the swish of his cloak, the four of them disappeared, reappearing on the beach next to the crashed Time ship. Serperant's tongue continuously flicked in and out of his mouth as he tasted the salty air and felt the warmth of the sun through his robes.

"Ura-sama, fresh footprints," Yabaiba said, pointing at the tracks that led into the ship.

Ura let out a low groan. "I'm not waiting for them to come out," he said, pointing his hand at the ship. A large ball of energy appeared and with the flick of his hand, the ball flew through the air and collided with the side of the ship, creating a loud bang, shaking the ship. They then waited until three males appeared.

"Who are they?" Yabaiba muttered.

Tsue Tsue shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "They aren't the Gaorangers."

The three males were quickly accompanied by two more, another male and a female.

The female took a step forward and Ura noticed the look of pure hated in her expression. "Serperant," she called and the hatred could be heard in her voice as she held out what looked like a badge, "you are under arrest for breaking the laws of Time!" As she finished speaking, the six Gaorangers appeared at the door of the ship and Ura smiled.

"Ura!" Shirogane shouted, causing the Highness Duke Org's smile to widen, as the Timerangers turned upon realising that the Gaorangers were behind them, Yuuri lowering her arm.

"Gao Silver," Ura greeted, "so nice to see you again."

"What are you doing here and why are you working with Serperant?" Kakeru asked. "What are you planning?"

"Ah, Gao Red always asking questions." Ura turned to Serperant. "So you do have a name after all," he said to him and Serperant responded with a hiss. Ura turned back to the Gaorangers and Timerangers. "Seeing as you've introduced my companion, who are your new friends?"

Yuuri shot them a warning look, telling them not to respond and when they didn't, Ura's smile faltered slightly.

"Shame," he said, sighing slightly. "Not that it matters. I already knew that you are the Timerangers."

Serperant hissed violently upon hearing the name 'Timerangers' and he strongly resisted the urge to take out his sniper rifle and shoot all of them.

"Since you know who we are, why don't you introduce yourselves?" Yuuri said to Ura, folding her arms across her chest.

Ura let out a high-pitched laugh. "Of course my dear. I am the Highness Duke Org Ura and these are my conpadres, Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue. So, my dear, who are you?"

Yuuri frowned. "That is of no concern to you," she spat. "We are here to arrest Serperant and now help the Gaorangers defeat you."

Serperant listened to the woman speak. He recognised her voice, the coldness and authority he could hear in her tone. He recognised it. He tried to remember where from, but he couldn't remember anything before he had begun working for Don Dolnero. It frustrated him. He knew that voice.

Ura laughed. "You defeat us?" Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue joined in with the laughter, while Serperant let out a hiss. He was positive he had heard her voice before but he couldn't remember where. "Don't be so foolish," Ura continued. "You will not be given the chance to defeat us and once we're through with you, we'll make sure to destroy every single living thing on this planet allowing us Orgs to roam free once more, starting with those you care for."

"Like we'll let that happen," Kakeru shouted, jumping forward so that he was standing with the Timerangers as Yuuri snarled angrily, taking a step forward.

Tatsuya grabbed her arm. "Yuuri, don't," he whispered and she turned to look at him, understanding that Ura was baiting her.

As Yuuri calmed down, something was triggered within Serperant's mind. _Yuuri_. There was a flash of memory. A girl with short brown hair was standing next to another taller brunette girl, her hair reaching just below her shoulders. The smaller girl was crying, a trickle of blood sliding down her forehead. The taller girl was screaming. They were surrounded by bodies on the floor and there was blood everywhere. He heard someone shout the name 'Yuuri' and the taller girl turned her head…

As though controlled by another force, Serperant reached around, pulling his sniper rifle out of his robes and aimed it at the Timerangers.

There was a loud, sharp bang.

* * *

><p><strong>My apologies for the lateness of this chapter, but it was difficult to write, mainly due to the focus on Serperant and the Orgs<strong>.

**Nonetheless, I hope that you all enjoyed it.**


	8. Quest 8

**Quest 8**

"Get down!" Ayase shouted.

Tatsuya pulled Yuuri down to the ground as the other Timerangers and Kakeru dove out of the way of Serperant's shot which sailed harmlessly past them, embedding itself in the metal wall of the Time ship. Sae let out a scream of surprise.

"What are you doing?" Ura cried. "This isn't part of the plan!"

Serperant snarled in response, his fangs bared. He spat angrily. He never missed. He took aim at the Timerangers again, using his hearing to pin-point their location.

"Yabaiba, Tsue Tsue, stop him!" Ura commanded and there was a shout of "Gao Access!" as the five standing Gaorangers quickly transformed, ready to engage Serperant and the Orgs.

The two Orgs grabbed Serperant in an attempt to stop him, but he threw them both off of him. They fell to the ground as Serperant, apparently having lost his self control, fired another shot wildly into the air.

Tatsuya pulled Yuuri to her feet as the five transformed Gaorangers ran past them. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Yuuri looked at him briefly. She nodded her head. "I'm fine," she replied.

Ura let out a cry of anger before summoning a band of unusual looking humanoid creatures, which were grey with red lines on their bodies, with large purple eyes and mouths. Each one carrying a club the size on a baseball bat. Each one had a small undeveloped horn protruding from their foreheads, signalling that they were Orgs.

"Orgettes," Kakeru muttered, leaping to his feet and taking out his G-Phone, shouting "Gao Access!" as he transformed into Gao Red. He then joined his comrades in battling the Orgettes who were blocking them from Serperant and the three Orgs.

Kakeru and the other Gaorangers took out their JuuOh swords and engaged the Orgettes. Every time they took one down there was another to take its place.

"There's so many of them!" Sae cried, replacing her JuuOh sword with her Tiger Baton.

"Don't think about that," Shirogane replied, slashing at an Orgette with his Gao Hustler Rod which was currently in its sabre mode.

"Ha ha!" Kai cried happily as he jumped and kicked two Orgettes down at the same time.

Sae tilted her head as she watched him. "Should I act more like him?" she asked Shirogane, pointing at Kai.

"Whatever works," he replied quickly turning his Gao Hustler Rod to sniper mode and shooting down five Orgettes, which were quickly replaced by five more.

Sae shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever works," she muttered, looking at her baton, before hitting a nearby Orgette across the face with it.

Domon turned to the Timerangers. "What do you think?" he said. "Do they need our help?"

Yuuri looked at them before looking round at the Gaorangers, watching them fight. She thought for a moment. She knew that Serperant was working with the Orgs, but there was something about him. Something had triggered in his mind, causing him to fire at them. He was unstable and this made him all the more dangerous. She had to do whatever it took to recapture him. She looked back at the Timerangers and held up her arm which had her Chrono Changer strapped to her wrist. "Let's go," she said.

The other Timerangers smiled. In one swift movement, they removed their clothes, revealing the silver-grey special body suits that they wore.

"Chrono Changer!" They shouted in unison, pressing the large oval button on their Chrono Changers before jumping into the air and transforming into the Timerangers.

Sion clapped his hands happily as he admired his suit and they all looked at each other before Yuuri nodded and they ran forward, joining the Gaorangers in fighting the Orgettes and trying to get to Serperant, who was still fighting off Tsue and Tsue and Yabaiba while Ura watched on in some sort of frustrated amusement.

Serperant's body shook violently as he sensed that the Timerangers were now adorning their suits as he heard their call. He let his tongue flicker in and out of his mouth and feeling the slight shift in weight on the sand and he let out an audible cry of rage. With his sniper rifle in one hand, he removed his katana from its sheath and spun around quickly, striking both Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba across their chests, causing them to cry in pain and fall to the ground before he took off towards the Timerangers, storing his rifle back under his robe as he did so.

The Gaorangers saw that Serperant was making his way to incept the Timerangers and made a dash towards him, but he ignored them, keeping his focus on the Timerangers. As each of the Gaorangers approached him, he swiftly swiped at each of them in turn in a seamless movement before they had a chance to strike him, sending them crashing to the ground. He didn't lose focus.

The Timerangers summoned their Vol weapons and shot them at Serperant, but he effortlessly jumped over the attacks, allowing the shots to hit the Orgettes behind him. He landed back on the sand and continued to run towards the Timerangers.

"Dammit!" Domon snapped, as he watched Serperant sail easily over their attacks.

"He's fast," Ayase commented. "Faster than I thought."

"Let's change our attacks then," Tatsuya said, his Vol Blaster disappearing to be replaced with his Arrow Vector, a sword-like weapon. The others copied this, each of them holding an Arrow Vector.

Serperant ran faster towards them, his sword held out to the side, ready to swipe at any moment. A smile appeared, teeth bared. He was looking forward to this.

The Timerangers ran towards Serperant, their Arrow Vectors held out in front of them. Serperant jumped into the air again, soaring over the heads of the Timerangers. He landed directly behind them and before they had a chance to turn around, he struck at them, catching all five of them across their backs, causing them to fall forward. Seperant let out a small hiss of satisfaction.

"Seriously," Domon moaned, hitting the sand with his fist in frustration. "How is he so fast?"

Yuuri groaned as she got to her feet. "Never mind that," she said, turning so that she was facing Serperant. "All that matters is defeating him." She looked down at her fallen comrades. "Get up." Without looking back at them, she ran past them and struck out at Serperant, who blocked her attack. He pushed her back and was about to strike her, but she rolled out of the way. He let out a snarl of anger.

Tatsuya and the others watched her fight against Serperant for a brief moment before Time Red turned to his comrades. "She's right," he said. "Serperant is faster than us, but," he held his Arrow Vector tightly in his hand, "we can beat him. We've gone up against worse, haven't we?" He then got to his feet. "Yuuri get down!" he shouted at her and without looking back at him, she dived out of the way as he called "Vector Hurley!" and threw his Vector Arrow at Serperant in a streak of red light. The attack hit Serperant's chest and he gave out a large violent hiss of anger. Tatsuya then rushed over to Yuuri and helped her up. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded her head and turned towards the others who were now also on their feet. "While he's distracted," she said before running towards Serperant and slashing him. She was quickly followed by her four team mates.

Serperant, still recovering from Tatsuya's attack was unprepared for the quick succession of hits by the Timerangers. He staggered back as the last one hit him and didn't see the second attack from Yuuri until she kicked his chest forcefully, throwing him to the ground. He hissed and spat vehemently. He wasn't supposed to be beaten like this, not by the Timerangers. He shook his head. This wasn't like him. He was acting irrationally. Meticulous planning, that was what he usually acted upon, but at the moment he felt as though he was being driven by an unnatural force. It was all because of the Timerangers, all because he had heard the name Yuuri. _Yuuri_… there was something about that name that had triggered something inside of him. Something from his past, something he didn't understand. He looked at the Timerangers, at the only female on the team. _Was that her? _he wondered. Was she the one that had triggered the unnatural force and feelings coursing through him?

Yuuri noticed Serperant looking at her and she resisted the urge to shiver, but there was something about him puzzled her. She had a feeling that she had seen him before, but she couldn't have. She had nothing to do with his case. But still…

"Yuuri-san, are you okay?" Sion's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"I'm alright," she replied. She looked at Serperant. "Let's do this while he's distracted."

The four males nodded and they swapped their Arrow Vectors for their Vol weapons, transforming them into the Voltech Bazooka.

As the Gaorangers continued to battle the endless stream of Orgettes, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba staggered over to Ura.

"Ura-sama," Tsue Tsue began, clutching her chest.

"We're going," Ura said.

"Eh? But what about the Gaorangers and, what did they call him, Seperant?" Yabaiba asked nervously.

"Leave the Gaorangers to the Orgettes," Ura replied. "I have no use for those who disobey me," he added, referring to Serperant.

Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba exchanged a look of nervousness before Ura swiped his cloak and the three of them disappeared.

"Dammit." Kakeru noticed them disappear before striking an approaching Orgette with his JuuOh sword and he continued fighting the Orgettes along with his team mates.

"Target, lock on," Yuuri called, making sure that the Voltech Bazooka was correctly positioned on Serperant.

Tatsuya was about to initiate the finishing attack to freeze Serperant when there was a shout of "Stop!"

Everyone, including the Gaorangers and Orgettes stopped to see who the newcomer was. Standing a short distance away was a woman. She was dressed in knee length white dress with a long white coat which ended just before her dress. She was wearing white heeled shoes and her bright pink hair was cut short, ending halfway down her neck. She was accompanied by two one-eyed robot-like creatures that none of the Gaorangers recognised.

"Lila!" Yuuri shouted in surprise.

"Timerangers," Lila said, as she walked over to Serperant, "what are you doing here?"

"The same could be said for you," Ayase replied.

Lila let out a little laugh. "I never left," she said. "I like this time too much." She threw her arms out and looked up at the sky momentarily. "Here there's no constant fear of being arrested. I get to have a life again." She then gestured to her two robotic companions who had marched alongside her. They approached Serperant and pulled him to his feet. Lila then approached him. "Ah, Serperant," she said, "I really didn't expect to see you here." She looked at the Timerangers. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking Serperant with me." She waved her fingers at the Timerangers before she, Serperant and the two robotic companions disappeared. The Orgettes also disappeared.

"What the–?" Gaku gasped upon noticing that the Orgettes had gone.

Kakeru approached the Timerangers. "Who was that?"

"That was Lila," Domon replied as the Voltech Bazooka was dismantled and their weapons disappeared.

"I take it she's a member of the Londarz family," Sotaro asked.

Domon nodded. "She worked with Don Dolnero and Gein." He turned to the other Timerangers. "I'd forgotten about her," he said.

"Mmm," Ayase responded, nodding his head in agreement. "But I didn't think she'd be here."

"It doesn't matter that she's here," Yuuri said firmly. "It just means we've got another criminal to arrest." She ended her transformation as she spoke and turned to the Gaorangers. "This doesn't change anything," she said. "Serperant and your Orgs are no longer working together which means _we_ don't need to work together."

Sion, Ayase and Domon groaned as they, Tatsuya and the Gaorangers ended their transformations.

"You're still not on about that, Yuuri," Domon said.

Yuuri turned to him. "We can't trust them," she replied.

"Tatsuya," Sion turned to him, hoping that he would talk some sense into her, but he shook his head.

"She's right," he said, sighing. "They tried to access the confidential files without our permission."

"To try and find you!" Gaku almost shouted in frustration.

Tatsuya shook his head. "But you shouldn't have tried to access the information about the future in the first place. Yuuri's right, you had no right to be looking up that information." He looked at the other three male Timerangers. "We're going," he said, turning around and heading across sand, Yuuri walking alongside him.

Sion turned to the Gaorangers. "You really looked up information on us and future?" he asked, evidently hurt at the revelation.

"We didn't mean to," Kai replied. "It's just when we stumbled across the information that you were from the future–"

"You couldn't help yourselves," Ayase replied, visibly angry.

"How are we supposed to work with you if we can't trust you?" Domon said, shaking his head before turning and following Tatsuya and Yuuri. Ayase followed him.

Sion bit his lower lip. "I want to work with you. I really do, but they're right. We can't trust you." He lowered his head and followed his comrades across the sand, the Gaorangers watching their retreating backs.

Kakeru kicked the sand angrily. "Dammit!"

"What are we going to do, Red?" Sae asked, clutching his arm.

Sotaro shook his head. "We should never have looked up that information," he said, crouching down.

"How were we supposed to know that it would have sort of affect on them?" Gaku replied.

Kakeru shook his head. "We accessed private information, some of which was about them. Wouldn't you be pissed off if the same thing was done to us?"

"Red's got a point," Shirogane said. "We found out stuff that we weren't supposed to know. I don't blame them for not trusting us now."

"But what are we supposed to do now?" Sae nervously asked, looking at Kakeru and Shirogane.

"Yeah, surely we still need to work together," Kai added eagerly.

"Why? Seperant's with another member of the Londarz family now. He isn't working with the Orgs anymore. There isn't a reason for us to be working together," Gaku said, saying what everyone was thinking. With Seperant no longer with Ura, there was no reason for the two teams to work together.

"But if we work together, then surely we can defeat both the Orgs and the Londarz family quicker?" Kai interjected, refusing to believe that there was no way they couldn't work with the Timerangers.

"We've broken their trust," Sotaro said sadly, picking up a handful of sand and letting the grains run through his fingers. He brushed his hands on his black shorts. "I doubt they'd even talk to us again."

Shirogane threw his head back and looked up at the sky. "There isn't anything more we can do here. I suggest we head back to Gao's Rock. Tetomu will want to know about all of this." He turned to Kakeru who nodded his head in agreement.

Kakeru let out a heavy sigh, knowing that Tetomu wasn't going to be very happy that they had failed in both defeating Serperant and the Orgs and in successfully teaming up with the Timerangers.

G|T

"Don't you think you were a bit harsh on them?" Sion asked Tatsuya and Yuuri as they arrived back at their Time ship, _Mirai_, to pick up the three navigator owls. "I get that what they did was wrong, but I still think we should give them another chance. We might still need their help."

Yuuri stopped walking and turned to face them. "Serperant is no longer with the Orgs," she said. "There is no reason for us to work with them."

"I know, but what if we have to?"

Domon clasped his hand on the youngster's shoulder. "Sion, they know you're an alien. They found out that information by looking through our personal records. Doesn't that bother you?"

"No. I don't care that they know. I've had people treat me differently because of it my whole life. If they do the same then it won't make any difference to me. But I'm not what matters. Defeating Serperant and Lila is. You saw how fast Serperant was. We can't go up against him and Lila as we are. Not without help."

The four Timerangers stared at him for a moment.

"I get what you're saying Sion, I do," Tatsuya said. "But for the time being, I think it's best that we handle Serperant and Lila alone without the Gaorangers' interference." He turned and walked into the Time ship, Ayase and Yuuri behind him.

Sion turned to Domon. "Domon-san, please."

Time Yellow shook his head. "Sorry, Sion, but I have to agree with the others, for now at least." He gave Sion a gentle push forwards. "Don't let it get to you. We've got a job to do." He gave him a small smile. "I bet Taku is wanting to see you since he hasn't seen you in a year."

Sion gave him a smile in response. "Yeah," he said, entering the Time ship. He arrived in the control room to see Yuuri and Tatsuya conversing with Taku. He walked over and picked up Jikoku, _Mirai_'s navigator owl and sighed. "It's a shame you don't know much about what's going on," he muttered to the robot.

Jikoku blinked at him. "Jikoku does not understand."

Sion sighed again, heavily this time. "Of course you don't." He walked over to Tatsuya and Yuuri, both of whom quickly stopped talking to Taku and he guessed that they were talking about something they didn't want anyone to know about.

"Alright, Sion?" Tatsuya asked.

Sion shrugged his shoulders. "I guess," he replied.

"Look, Sion, if this is about us not working with the Gaorangers, you have to understand our reasons," Yuuri told him. "We can't work with people we don't trust."

"I know that, but… but what about when we first started? We didn't know or trust each other, but we still worked together."

"That was because we had to," Yuuri explained. "We were thrown here together. We had no other choice. This time we do have a choice. We don't need the Gaorangers' help. We can handle Lila and Serperant without them."

Sion felt a sudden anger rise within him. He was getting fed up of hearing the same excuses. Why couldn't they understand that things would be easier if they were working with the Gaorangers? He shook his head and pushed the thoughts away. He couldn't think negatively. They were his teammates. "Are we done here?" he asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

Tatsuya looked at Yuuri, who nodded in response to the question. "Yeah, we're done," he said. "We just needed to pick up the owls." He turned around slightly and picked up Taku before asking Domon and Ayase to make sure one of them had Hibiki. "Let's go," he said once he had had a reply.

The journey back to the apartment was a quiet one. None of the Timerangers knew what to say to each other. The day had been a long and tiring one and they had decided, now that they knew more of Serperant's abilities, that they would discuss ways in which to fight him effectively the following day, hoping that at least one of the three owls would hold some insight into him and his capabilities.

It was dusk when they arrived back at the apartment complex. They slowly inched their way up the numerous flights of stairs to their apartment. There was a shuffling sound coming from the direction of their apartment and Tatsuya halted them.

"What is it?" Ayase asked.

Tatsuya shook his head. "I heard something. Stay here." He crept around the corner of the corridor to see who, or what, was outside their door. A couple of moments later he came back. "It's alright," he said, a broad smile on his face. "It's a friend."

The other four exchanged curious and confused looks before they walked around the corner to see a short woman dressed in a long mustard yellow coat.

"Honami!" Domon cried happily, pushing the other four out of the way, Ayase almost hitting his head on the wall, and ran over to her.

"Domon-san." Honami bowed her head to him, unable to keep from smiling.

"Honami," Domon said again, pulling her into his arms. He had missed her so much that it felt like more than a year that they had been apart. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she replied softly, resting her head on his shoulder. Over the past year, she hadn't changed much; she had just let her hair grow a bit longer. It was now resting on her shoulders. She held Domon tightly to her, missing his touch, scent and voice. But a sudden nervousness swept over her and she wondered how he would take the news she had to give.

The sound of crying broke the pair apart and Domon looked over her shoulder, seeing what looked like a large basket, a hooded cover concealing most of the basket, on a wheeled contraption behind her. "What's that sound?" he asked.

"It sounded like a baby," Sion replied, he, Ayase and Yuuri sharing a look of surprise.

Honami shot Tatsuya a look of pure fear, knowing that she now had to reveal her secret. Tatsuya gave her a reassuring nod. She gave him a small nod before turning to Domon. "Domon-san," she began, her voice shaking, "there's something I need to tell you."

Domon, who was still smiling with happiness at being reunited with her, tilted his head. "What is it?" he asked.

Honami swallowed and turned around to pick something up. She turned back to face Domon, a young baby in her arms. "This, Domon-san, this is your son."

Domon stared at her, at the baby, his son. His vision suddenly darkened and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>I think I've not brought all of the primary characters into this now with the introductions of both Lila and Honami. I am still debating as to whether or not to bring Naoto (Time Fire) back, I know some of you want me to, but I'll have to see how the story goes.<strong>

**Until next time...**


	9. Quest 9

**Quest 9**

Domon groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, the back of his head throbbing slightly. He rubbed it, noticing that his hat had been removed, as he sat up. He blinked a couple of times, taking in the sight before him. He was on one of the sofas and gazing across from him, her eyes opened wide with anticipation, was Honami, nervously biting her lower lip. Instantly Domon smiled. It hadn't been a dream. She was really here.

"Honami," he said, unable to keep the smile from his face.

"Domon." Honami smiled in return.

In a quick motion, he was off of the sofa and pulling Honami into his arms. He held on to her tightly, afraid that she wasn't really in arms, that it was all part of a dream. As he held her, he wondered if this was how Tatsuya and Yuuri sometimes felt, that if they were apart then it would all turn out to be a dream. But, seeing Honami again, he began to realise why Yuuri was so defensive in regards to Tatsuya; though they wanted to be together, once this was all over, they would separated again. Like he and Honami. He didn't know if he would be able to let her go and leave her behind again.

"I'm really here, Domon-san," Honami said, her voice barely above a whisper. She touched his arm gently. "See. I'm really here."

Domon held her more tightly and let out a laugh. "I had such a weird dream," he told her. "I dreamt that we were standing in the hallway and you had a baby in your arms." He let out another laugh. "You told me it was mine. How preposterous is that?"

Honami bit her lip nervously. He thought it was all a dream. He didn't believe that she had had his child, his son. "Actually," she began, her voice wavering, but before she could continue, the sound of a baby crying could be heard.

"What was that?" Domon let go of her and looked across the room. By the window stood the others, all of them looking down at something cradled in Yuuri's arms, where the crying sound appeared to coming from. Domon tilted his head in confusion. Yuuri was making hushing noises, rocking her arms in an attempt to calm whatever she was carrying. She then moved slightly, allowing Domon to see what was in her arms: a baby. He let out another laugh and they all turned to face him, surprised. "How long was I out of it?" he asked, clutching his head as he laughed in confusion. "Tatsuya and Yuuri had a baby?"

Both Tatsuya and Yuuri blushed at Domon's implication as they looked at the child in Yuuri's arms. They all came to the realisation that Domon didn't think that the baby was his and Honami's.

"What? No," Tatsuya replied, looking back over at Domon. "Domon, he's–"

The baby let out another cry and Yuuri turned to Honami, a pleading look in her eyes. "Sorry, but I can't settle him," she said, holding her arms out.

Honami nodded and detangled herself from Domon. She took the child out of Yuuri's arms and instantly he stopped crying. "There, there," she said softly.

Domon looked over at Yuuri. "Oi, you can't just hand your child off like that 'cos you can't cope."

Yuuri frowned at him. "He's not mine."

"Eh?" He turned to Tatsuya. "Then you had a child behind Yuuri's back." He shook his head. "How could you?"

Tatsuya also frowned at Domon. "He's not mine either." He walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Think about it."

"If he's not yours or Yuuri's then…" He looked over at Honami, who was gently rocking the baby, her eyes focused on the child's face.

"Penny in the air," Ayase muttered as they all watched Domon.

"He's…" Domon spluttered, unable to take his eyes away from Honami and the child. Honami heard him and look up at him, nervous.

"Penny drops."

"Yours?" He took a shaky step towards her.

"Ours," Honami corrected him, slowly walking over to him. "This is our son, Domon."

Domon had a flash of memory, remembering her telling him that he had a son out in the hallway, before everything had gone black. He swayed again.

"Quick, grab him," Ayase called as he and Sion rushed over to steady him, each of them grabbing one of Domon's arms as he sank back, his legs giving way momentarily.

Domon clutched a hand to his head and slowly shook it. "Wha– my… urgh… umm… Honami… child… my child…?" He looked up at Honami, who took some cautious steps towards him. "Th-that's my child?"

She nodded her head. "Yes," she said softly.

He shook his head again. "I need to sit down." He walked backwards, Ayase and Sion letting him go, and he sank down onto the couch, his head in his hands. "I have a child," they heard him mutter to himself. He let out a staggered laugh of disbelief. "I have a child?"

Honami looked at Domon, worry and nervousness etched on her face. She hadn't expected him to react like this. In fact, she had no idea how she had expected him to take the news. She looked over at Tatsuya and Yuuri. "What do I do?" she asked them.

The two exchanged a look before Tatsuya replied, "Just sit with him. He's in shock, so just give him a couple of minutes to calm down. It's a lot for him to take in."

Honami nodded. She understood that it was a shock for him to come back and find out that he was a father. "Maybe I should come back," she suggested. "Let him get used to the idea of being a father before he sees him." She made a movement towards the door.

"You can't just leave," Yuuri said, stopping Honami, who turned back. "How about we give you two some space? The both of you can sit down and talk and get him used to his son without us around. Right?" she questioned Tatsuya and when he didn't reply, she forcefully stood on his foot. "Right?"

"Oww! Yes, yes." He hopped on one foot as he lifted the one Yuuri had stood on so that he could rub it with his hand. "Dammit, Yuuri," he muttered as she smiled in slight amusement.

"Ayase, Sion," she called over to the other two Timerangers who were watching Domon in case he fainted again, and they looked up upon hearing her voice, "we're going out to the shops."

"Okay, see you later." Ayase gave them a small wave.

"No, _we're_ going to the shops," she repeated, indicating that the four of them would be going.

"But we went to the shops last night," Sion complained.

"Well, we've run out of umm… milk," Tatsuya replied, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"But we've still got loads left," Ayase said, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, we need some more," Yuuri replied, gesturing towards the door. "Come on."

"What about Domon-san and Honami-san?" Sion questioned.

Yuuri let out a frustrated groan and walked over to the two, grabbing their arms. "We're going now." She pushed them in the direction of the door.

"Okay, okay." Ayase rubbed his arm. "We're going."

As the four walked out, Yuuri reassuringly whispered to Honami. "It'll be alright, okay."

Honami nodded in response as Yuuri gave her a smile before following the three men out of the door. Once the door was closed, Honami slowly moved over to the sofa and sat down opposite Domon, she rocked her sleeping baby slightly as she looked at Domon, waiting for him to look up.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes which were interrupted occasionally by the soft cries of the child in Honami's arms as he dreamt.

Unable to take the silence anymore, Honami took a breath. "So," she began nervously.

Domon slowly lifted his head, realising that it was now just the two of them. He looked at the child in Honami's arms. "So," he repeated, unsure of what to say.

Honami bit her lower lip, looked down at the child and took another breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should have told you."

Domon stared at her. "When did you know?"

She bit her lip again. "About a month before you left."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Honami pursed her lips in thought. "I should have told you," she said. "But I didn't because you were leaving and I thought it would be for the best."

"'For the best'? For who? You or me?"

"You had to leave and I didn't want you to have any regrets about leaving, so I didn't tell you."

Domon frowned at her. He knew she had a point. Back then, he had to return to the future or die fighting against Gein. He couldn't have stayed. But it still hurt that she didn't tell him that he had a child. He slowly nodded his head. "I understand why you didn't tell me, but–"

"I should have," Honami interrupted. "I really wanted to but I didn't want you to have any regrets; to miss me, us."

"I still did," he replied, looking at her. He stood up, walked around the coffee table and sat down next to her, she moved so that she was facing him, careful not to awaken the sleeping child in her arms.

"Domon-san," she muttered, her voice hushed, understanding the implication of his words.

He cupped her cheek. "No matter what, if you had told me or not, I would have still missed you." He looked down at his son. "Both of you." He looked back up at her before leaning in and gently kissing her lips. It was a short, brief kiss but filled with affection that the two shared for each other. He pulled away slowly, both of them smiling from the action. They both looked down at the baby. "So, this is my son," he said, unable to keep the happiness from his voice.

"Yes," she replied softly. "His name is Mirai." She gently stroked the child's cheek with the back of her finger.

"Mirai?" Domon looked at her surprised at the child's name.

Honami nodded. "He is a child of the future," she said and held him out to Domon for him to hold.

Domon took the child into his arms. "Mirai…"

G|T

"What happened this time?" Tetomu asked as the Gaorangers filed into the room, each one looking disgruntled.

Kakeru sat down at the stone table. "They still won't work with us."

Tetomu frowned. "Why not?"

Kakeru looked over at the others, most of whom, Tetomu noticed, following his gaze, were now wearing guilty looks. "We went into the Time ship to try and find a way in which to contact them and we stumbled across some information about them and when they found out that we knew, umm, certain things about them, they weren't very happy about it," he explained.

"What kind of information did you find?" she asked, curious.

Kakeru paused, unsure as to whether or not to tell her. He didn't want to alarm her or to reveal the Timerangers' secrets, but at the same time, he knew she could handle the information and maybe find ways in which to persuade the Timerangers that they are trustworthy. "We found out that they're from the future," he eventually admitted.

"The future?" Tetomu's mouth almost dropped in surprise. "Th-they're from the future?" she couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. "Imagine the things that they know!"

"Ah, that's what sort of got us into this trouble in the first place," Kakeru muttered, looking down at the table.

Tetomu's smile faltered and was replaced with a frown. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Sae nodded, confirming Kakeru's statement. "As well as finding out that they're from the future, we also found out that there was a sixth Timeranger, Naoto, but that he died."

"So because you found out this information, they decided that they still couldn't trust you?"

"It wasn't just that," Shirogane said. "Some of us, after finding out the Timerangers were from the future, decided to try and find out information about the future. But I think it was more of a fact that we had accessed information about them that they didn't take kindly too."

Tetomu shook her head. "Whatever possessed you to try and find out information about the future?"

"We couldn't help it," Kai admitted, diverting his gaze towards the floor. "It was just too appealing."

"And we didn't think that they would find out," Sotaro added.

Tetomu frowned at them. "Well you're just going to have to try harder. It is imperative that you work with them."

"I really don't think they'll work with us now, anyway," Gaku, who was leaning against the wall, said.

Tetomu turned to him. "Why not, Yellow?"

"It's not just that we found out that information, but Serperant is no longer working with the Orgs."

"He isn't?"

Gaku folded his arms against his chest and shook his head. "Serperant went berserk and started shooting at us against Ura's orders and then this woman showed up."

"Woman? What woman?" she questioned.

"I think the Timerangers referred to her as Lila," Kakeru said.

Gaku nodded. "She must have been a member of the Londarz family. Anyway, Ura, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba disappeared and Serperant went with this Lila. If Serperant is no longer with the Orgs, then there's no reason for us to work with them."

Tetomu let out a frustrated groan. "But you have to work with them!" she almost cried.

"Hey, I never said that," Gaku quickly said, holding up his hands in defence. "That Yuuri did."

Shirogane took a step forward, looking thoughtful. "Tetomu is right," he said. "We need to work with the Timerangers. But I think that the men won't need much convincing to work with us. The only reason they won't is because Yuuri is against it." He turned to the others. "We need to somehow persuade her that we have to work together."

"How do you suggest we do that?" Gaku asked, almost scoffing at the suggestion.

"I don't know," Shirogane admitted. He turned to Tetomu. "Maybe if you spoke to her, showed her why it was so important?"

Tetomu nodded. "It does sound like a good plan, but," she shuffled her feet nervously, "I don't like the thought of having a stranger here in Gao's Rock or of leaving here to speak to her."

"It would be better that she be brought here," Shirogane said to her. "We'll all be here."

Gaku pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to Shirogane, standing next to him. "It would be easier to persuade her if she was alone," he said, "away from the influence of the others."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Kai asked. "I highly doubt she'll be wondering the streets on her own."

"I don't know," he admitted. "If we have any chance of successfully convincing her of the importance of us working together, then she has to be alone."

"I'll go and make us some food," Sotaro piped up. "We can talk about ways to get her alone while we eat."

Sae nodded. "I'll help you," she said and the two disappeared towards the kitchen area.

Tetomu turned to the others. "You have to make sure this works," she told them. She walked over to the holy shrine. "Call me when you've got a plan," she added before disappearing into the still water.

"She's not happy," Shirogane said.

"We kind of guessed that," Gaku replied, sitting at the table opposite Kakeru.

"What are we going to do?" Kai asked, sitting next to him. "How are we supposed to get Yuuri alone?"

Kakeru shook his head. "I don't know. If only we knew where they were, then we'd be able to come up with a plan. As it is, we're just shooting in the dark."

"What if we went back to the Time ship?" Kai suggested. "Find a way to contact them there again."

Kakeru shook his head again. "No. Remember what happened last time we were there? We ended up making it worse." He let out a heavy sigh. "There has to be another way for us to find them."

G|T

It was late in the night and the Gaorangers had all fallen asleep at the stone table, the remains of their food still littered across it. They had been discussing for hours ways in which they could get Yuuri alone, but none of their ideas amassed to anything since they had no idea where they could find her.

Gaku lifted his head slightly, looking at his sleeping comrades. He knew that the only way they would be able to find out where the Timerangers were would be to go back to the ship, but Kakeru had been adamant that they weren't to go back there. Even though he often disagreed with his leader's orders but went along with, this was one that couldn't be ignored. The Time ship held all of the information that they needed. They had to go back. He sat up. If Kakeru wasn't going to go back, then he would have to. Now. While everyone was asleep.

His mind made up, Gaku quietly got up and stealthily made his way towards the entrance to Gao's Rock.

"Where are you going?"

The voice made Gaku jump and he turned to see Kai standing next to the table, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Shhh," Gaku hushed him. "I can't sleep so I thought I'd get some fresh air."

Kai nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

Gaku froze for a moment. He couldn't tell Kai where he was going and he couldn't think of a reasonable excuse as to why he couldn't accompany him outside. "I just want some time to myself," he came up with.

"Some space?"

"To think."

"So? I can still come with you. I'll be quiet."

Gaku resisted the urge to groan. There was no way of getting out of it. He approached Kai. "Look," he said, "I'm going back to that Time ship. It's the only way we can find the Timerangers."

Kai let out a gasp. "You can't," he said. "That's going against Red's orders."

"We don't have a choice. We just have to be careful this time, make sure we only look for ways to contact or find them." He thought for a moment, seeing as Kai was awake, there was no reason for him to this alone – it would be quicker if he had help. "You can come with me if you want."

Kai stared at him. "Really?"

Gaku nodded. "Yes, but we're going now."

Kai thought for a brief moment. "Okay," he said. "Let's go."

Gaku gave him a curt smile and a nod before the two ran out of Gao's Rock and into the night. It was darker than either of them had expected and it took a few minutes for their eyesight to adjust. Once they could see to a reasonable degree, they set off into the night.

As they headed towards the beach, Gaku mentally cursed himself. It was difficult to navigate where they were going in the dark and he wished he had had the hindsight to bring a torch with him. But luckily, parts of the streets were dimly lit by the streetlamps, but once they got to the beach, he knew it would be even harder for them to see where they going since the moon was covered by thick clouds.

They arrived at the beach with barely a word said between the two. It had taken slightly longer to get there due to the darkness.

Both of them were out of breath due to walking at a fast pace, combined with the cold and the wind that was becoming increasingly stronger and harsher.

Kai shivered. "It's cold."

Gaku nodded. He was beginning to wish that he hadn't acted so rashly and taken the time to think things through and to grab a coat. He clutched his jacket closer to him for warmth. There was a strong wind coming from the sea, whipping both of their faces. They both lifted the collars of their jackets, trying to protect as much of their faces as possible for the onslaught whist also trying to keep their jackets as close to their bodies as possible in an attempt to keep warm.

Everything was cold. The air, the wind, the sand beneath their feet. The darkness also added to the coldness that two felt.

They reached the Time ship and entered though the still-open door. It was warm and eerily quiet. The two walked silently down the corridor which was dimly lit by the emergency lighting that still hadn't been turned off. Occasionally there would be a beeping sound coming from a consol on the wall, making the two males jump in surprise. They arrived at the control room and entered it. Like the rest of the ship, the room was illuminated by the dim emergency lights which cast a red glow across the room. They approached the consol Kakeru had used the previous day. Gaku sat in the black, leather seat; Kai crouched down next to him, looking up at the screen.

"Where do we start?" Kai asked.

"I don't know." Gaku's eyes scanned the different options on the screen, but none of them appeared to be of any help. He was being more cautious than usual, not wanting to do anything that would alert the Timerangers to their presence.

"What about that one?" Kai pointed at an icon entitled _Location_.

"Location? I doubt it," Gaku replied. "It'll probably just tell us where we are."

Kai shrugged his shoulders. "We should at least try it."

Gaku let out a heavy sigh. "Fine." He tapped the icon and two options appeared: _Jikan _and _Hibiki._

"_Jikan_, that's the name of this ship, right?"

"Yeah. I told you it would just tell us where we are." Gaku felt disappointment course through him.

Kai shook his head and pointed at the other name. "What's _Hibiki_? Wasn't that the name of that owl creature Tatsuya found here?"

"Yeah so?"

Kai looked at him. "Didn't Tatsuya take Hibiki with him?"

Gaku stared at him. "You're right, Blue." He tapped on Hibiki's name and waited.

Across town, sat on a desk next to two other robotic navigator owls, Hibiki's eyes opened.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit of a shorter chapter then usual this time. It'll be another couple of chapters (I think) before there's any more action and fight scenes, so bare with me. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it.<strong>


	10. Quest 10

**Quest 10**

Tatsuya groaned as he awoke. He blinked a couple of times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark. He rolled onto his side to look across at the alarm clock on the bedside table situated on the opposite wall. It read 3.25. He groaned again as he sat up. He didn't know why he had awoken so early, but instead of feeling tired, he felt wide awake. Rather than try to go back to sleep, Tatsuya swung his legs over the edge on his bed, which was on the top bunk of the bunk beds and jumped down quietly, careful not to wake Ayase (Domon was at Honami's apartment, spending time with her and his son) and crept out of the room, silently opening and closing the door.

Sion was sat at the desk, a blanket draped over his shoulders, with the three navigator owls and Time Roboter, all four had their eyes closed. Sion had the computer in front of him, the light from the screen illuminating his face with a blue tint. He looked up upon hearing the sound on footsteps on the floor. "Good morning, Tatsuya-san." He gave him a small smile. "Can't sleep?"

Tatsuya shook his head in response. He walked over to Sion and looked at the computer screen. "What are you doing?" He noticed the Jikoku was sat next to the computer, a wire joining the two.

"I'm trying to see if I can find any information about Serperant," Sion replied. "But there's nothing about him apart from what he did when he was part of the Londarz family, see." He pointed at the screen and Tatsuya leant closer, seeing that Sion was right, the only information the Time Protection Bureau had on Serperant were his crimes, nothing else. "It's as though he never existed until he was recruited by the Londarz family." He frowned as he unclipped Jikoku.

"No information at all?"

Sion shook his head and looked at him. "I've checked Jikoku, Hibiki and Taku's databases, but nothing."

"That doesn't make any sense," Tatsuya replied. "There has to be something about him somewhere." He paused for a moment. "Why are you trying to find out information about his past anyway?"

"It was Yuuri-san's idea. She wanted to know as much as she can about him, especially as to why he lost control and fired at us against that Org's orders."

"Yuuri? When did she ask you to do this?"

"Uh, a few hours ago. Just after you all went to bed. Why?"

Tatsuya shook his head. "I was just wondering." He walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Anyway, what's it like being back here?"

Sion's face instantly lit up. "I'm so happy to back," he replied, smiling. "I prefer being here to the future, especially since we're all here together. It wasn't the same, us all being in the future without you. Ayase-san and Domon-san are also happy to be back here." He looked up at the ceiling. "I think Yuuri-san's also happy to be back, but…"

"But what?"

Sion turned to him. "She hasn't had a proper night's sleep since we came back. She's been up on the roof for the past couple of hours." He looked back up at the ceiling and Tatsuya followed his gaze. "Maybe you should go and talk to her, convince her that it would be best for all of us if she got some sleep?"

"Yeah." He walked into the kitchen and turned the kettle on, scooping some hot chocolate into three cups. "It can't be good for her or for any of us if she's tired. We need her awake and focused," he called.

Sion got up from the desk and joined him in the kitchen. "She's so focused on arresting Serperant that she's not thinking about anything else. I don't know whether or not I should be worried, Tatsuya-san."

The kettle boiled and Tatsuya poured the hot water into the three cups, handing one to Sion. "I'll talk to her," he said, clasping him on the shoulder as Sion took the cup. "Don't worry." He gave him a small smile and picked up the other two cups along with Sion's blanket, which the latter held out for him and headed up to the roof.

Although it was a clear night, there was a cold breeze across the rooftop and Tatsuya instinctively shivered against it. It was also quiet, expect for the occasionally hiss of the wind against the air conditioner and water storage units. He found Yuuri sitting against one of the air conditioner units, holding a blanket tightly against herself for warmth. Her head was resting against her knees which she had brought up to her chest and he thought that she might have been asleep until he noticed that her eyes were open. He quietly walked over to her and sat down next to her, holding out the cup of hot chocolate. "I thought you could do with this," he said quietly.

She turned her head to look at him and then stared at the cup of hot drink for a moment as though unsure of what to do. "Thank you," she replied, taking the cup, holding it with both hands to keep them warm.

"Sion said you were up here," he said to her, leaning back.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied matter-of-factly, taking a small sip from her cup.

"Sion also told me that," he said and she was surprised to see some concern in his eyes. "But, maybe you should try," he then suggested. "You, we all need some sleep and rest if we're going to fight Serperant." He blew on the top of his drink before taking a sip, feeling the warmth from it flow through his body.

Yuuri frowned at him. "I'm not tired," she said, annoyed that he thought she needed to rest. "If you're tired then maybe _you_ should be the one to get some sleep."

"Yuuri." He lowered his cup and faced her. "If you're not going to sleep, can you at least rest, take a break?"

"I am resting," she countered, her annoyance rising.

He shook his head. "No, you're not. You're thinking about Serperant, about how we can fight him and arrest him, about where he is and what he's planning. That's not resting. You need to take a break."

She stared at him for a brief moment. _Was it that obvious?_ She shook her head. "I'm fine," she said to him.

"You need to take a break," he firmly told her. "You can't keep going after Serperant without some rest."

"I have a job to do," she almost snapped. "I have to arrest Serperant and now Lila."

Tatsuya shook his head, his own frustrations rising. "I get that, but we're a team. We're going to catch Serperant and Lila _together_ and we can only do that effectively if you get some rest. You need it Yuuri and anyway, Sion's worried about you." He paused for a moment. "And so am I," he quietly added and she looked at him, her eyes widened in surprise. He put his cup down and took Yuuri's from her before taking her hands in his own. He was surprised at how cold they were despite the fact that she had been holding onto a hot cup for the past five or so minutes and his frustration instantly faded, instead concern rose. "You're cold."

"I'm fine," she repeated, although she hadn't actually realised she was cold until he had placed his warm hands on top of hers and she resisted the urge to shiver, from the feel of his touch or from the cold she was now feeling, she wasn't sure.

"Stop saying that," he said and she was surprised at the slight harshness she heard in his voice. "Stop saying that you're fine when you aren't."

Yuuri looked away from him, biting her lower lip. She couldn't understand why he cared about her wellbeing so much. She knew that there was more than just friendship between them, they were more than that now, but she was still surprised at how easily he could read her, that he always seemed to know that what she was feeling. She then wondered how much he had been told about the future, about her life in the future and whether it was this that made him care and worry about her so much. "Why?" Her voice was quiet and despite their close proximity, he almost didn't hear her. He turned his head towards her, a look of uncertainty on his face. She slowly lifted her head, meeting his gaze. "Why are you doing this? Why do you care so much?"

He sighed. "Because you're important, to me, to the others…" He trailed off seeing her expression turn into one of annoyance and he knew that he wasn't giving her a good enough reason. He swallowed. "And, because you mean a lot to me, more than anyone else ever has."

She blinked. She already knew all of this, but to have him say it was something entirely different. It was if by admitting how he felt, they were cementing where they stood with each other. She also felt a sense of relief knowing that him caring for her wasn't due to anything he had (or hadn't) been told about her, but was due to his own feeling towards her. "Tatsuya," she whispered softly.

"I mean it," he said, his voice full of determination. "I know you'll find that hard to believe, but it's true." He leant closer to her.

She smiled slightly; believing his words as she carefully removed one of her hands from his and placed it on his cheek, staring intently into his eyes, her heart beating wildly in anticipation of what was about to happen. "I know." She could his breath against her skin, sending shivers rippling through her body.

There was loud bang of metal against metal, making the two jump and both of them secretly cursed at the intrusion. Tatsuya turned around as Yuuri peered over his shoulder to see Sion standing in the doorway, a sheepish smile on his face. Instantly the two blushed at the predicament they had been caught in.

"Sorry," he apologised, scratching the back of his head, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had interrupted a moment between the two, not seeing their reddened faces, "the wind kind of caught the door as I was opening it."

"Is everything okay?" Yuuri asked, instantly concerned, the warmth in face slowly fading.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure the two of you were alright," Sion explained. "You've been up here a while."

Despite the frustration that she felt, Yuuri smiled at him. "We're okay," she said to him. She picked up her cup and stood up. "We were just about to come back in."

Tatsuya stared at her in disbelief as he copied her motion. "Yeah," he said, though his voice gave away his uncertainty and confusion. "We were just coming." He continued to stare at her as she swept past him towards Sion, who gave her a small nod as she entered the building.

"Tatsuya-san, are you coming?"

Tatsuya shook his head to see Sion waiting expectantly for him. He walked over to his fellow Timeranger. "Couldn't you have waited five more minutes?" he asked him.

"Huh? Why?" Sion tilted his head in confusion.

Tatsuya shook his head again. "It doesn't matter," he said. Sion was still too young and naïve to understand.

Sion was rooted to the spot as he took in Tatsuya's words. He wondered if he had interrupted something between the two. He remembered how close they had been sat to each other and his eyes widened. He turned and ran after Tatsuya who was halfway down the flight of stairs. He grabbed his arm. "Tatsuya-san!"

Tatsuya felt Sion's grip on his arm and turned as the youngest team member called his name. He turned around.

"I am so sorry, Tatsuya-san," Sion said, blushing with embarrassment. "I didn't know."

The red Timeranger's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"About you and Yuuri-san," Sion elaborated, seeing his expression. "I didn't know you two were… you know."

"Oh." Tatsuya let out a low laugh. He clasped Sion's shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He gave him a reassuring smile before turning back around and continuing down the stairs.

Sion paused for a moment before going after him. Once they were back on their floor, he spoke again, "Are you and Yuuri-san…?"

Tatsuya turned around again to face him. "Sort of," he said. "We know how we feel about each other, but it's nothing official yet."

"Oh." His face fell slightly. Everyone knew how Tatsuya and Yuuri felt about each other. It had been obvious before their return to the future and once they were back in their time, Yuuri hadn't been the same and they all knew it was because she missed him, though they also knew she would never had admitted it. That, combined with what else happened… He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Tatsuya walking towards him.

"Just don't tell anyone," he said quietly. "Not until it's official."

Sion nodded dumbly in response. "Of course, Tatsuya-san." He then smiled. "I'm glad that you two are together," he added brightly.

"Sshh," he hushed him, making a 'quiet' motion with his free hand.

"Ah, sorry," he whispered, lowering his voice, though the smile didn't leave his face. "First Domon-san and Honami-san and now you and Yuuri-san."

The two then walked back to their apartment and once they were inside, Sion headed straight back to his desk while Tatsuya headed into the kitchen and was surprised to see that Yuuri was standing next to the sink.

"I thought you would have gone to bed," he said to her, as he stood next to her, placing his cup in the sink next to hers.

"I was just on my way," she replied, staring out of the window. They were silent for a few moments before she turned around, leaning against the basin. "I thought I'd take your advice." He looked at her and she smiled. "To get some rest," she reminded him and pushed herself away from the basin. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, good night," she said and was about to leave the room when he grabbed hold of her wrist.

"We're alright, aren't we?"

Her eyes narrowed in worry. Her eyes then softened as she leant up. "Of course we are," she whispered and he felt her soft breath against his skin and he let go of her wrist. She smiled as she walked past him, turning once she was in the doorway and he turned to face her. "Good night, Tatsuya," she said softly and unguarded, giving him another smile before she left him.

He stared at the spot in which she had been standing until he heard her door click closed. A broad smile appeared on his face before he too followed suite and went back to bed.

G|T

The morning sunlight hit Yuuri's face, waking her up. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, wishing that she had remembered to put the blind down to cover her window the previous night. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, letting out a sigh before sitting up and looking at the clock which was situated on the bedside table next to her bed. 6.30. She let out another sigh. Even though she had barely had a couple of hours sleep, she felt oddly rested and serene.

She thought back to the conversation she had had with Tatsuya only a couple of hours ago, a small smile forming on her lips. Despite everything that had happened in the past year, she could honestly say that at that moment, she was happy, happier then she had been in a very long time and she knew that he was the reason why. The fact that they were on the same page in terms of their feelings only made her feel more elated and she pushed away the lingering thought of what would happen once they arrested Serperant. She didn't want to think about that day, but she knew that it would come eventually and there was still the nagging feeling in the back of her mind about Serperant that she just couldn't get rid of. There was something about him. Something that just wouldn't go away. She felt as if there was something about him hidden within her and when she tried to reach for it, it would slip through her fingers, back into the depths of her mind.

She sat up, frowning. The thought that she was somehow connected to Serperant wouldn't fade and this was the reason why she had asked Sion to find out what he could about the Londarz family member, not to find out how to defeat him, but to find out if he _was_ linked to her, though she hadn't told Sion this. She hadn't told anyone and she wouldn't until she, herself, knew if there was any connection at all.

She threw her covers off of her, frustrated. She didn't want to be thinking about Serperant, not when she was feeling so content. She saw the blanket that she had taken up to the roof lying on the floor and the memories came flooding back again. She still couldn't believe that Tatsuya really felt the way he did, but knowing that he felt the way he did made her heart thump wildly in her chest and she couldn't tear away the smile that had formed on her lips. She remembered the feel of his touch and how it had spread warmth throughout her body and she also remembered their near kiss – their _second_ near kiss – and she once again cursed Sion for ruining the moment. Thinking of the green Timeranger, she decided to go and see whether or not he had made any progress in finding out about Serperant's past before she went out for her morning run.

She swung off her bed and quickly changed into a pair of black leggings and pink cropped sports top before putting her blue 'Tomorrow Research' jacket on. She was surprised at how much Tatsuya had kept, even after a year. She tied her hair back into a ponytail before heading into the bathroom, noting that Sion wasn't currently sat at the computer as she walked past. When she came out, he was sat in his usual place, with a steaming cup next to him, furiously typing into the computer. The three navigator owls all had their eyes closed.

"Any luck?" she asked him.

Sion jumped, having not realised that she was there. He shook his head. "Nothing. It's like he didn't exist until the Londarz family recruited him," he told her, saying what he had said to Tatsuya the previous night. "But I'll keep looking." He gave her a warm smile. "You're up early," he then noted. "Did you sleep alright?"

Yuuri smiled slightly. "I did, thank you," she replied. "I slept a lot better than I have done for a while."

Sion gave her a knowing look, making her narrow her eyes in confusion. "I'm glad," he said. "Have a nice run, Yuuri-san."

She nodded in response before walking to the door and slipping on her trainers. "I shouldn't be too long," she called before leaving and Sion gave her a back handed wave as she closed the door.

She jogged down the stairs and out of the apartment building. The sun was bright, but there was a sharp coldness in the air which she put down to the earliness of the day. She jogged down the route she had taken on an almost daily basis when she had last been here. Her thoughts kept flickering between Tatsuya and Serperant. She wanted to know what Serperant's and the Londarz family's plans were and why he was sent back to this time and if and how Dolnero fitted in with it all, especially since Lila had reappeared. _He was the head of the Londarz family,_ she repeatedly told herself, _he has to be involved somehow_. She couldn't rest until she found out. Her thoughts on Tatsuya were almost as confused as those of Serperant, though they were mainly thoughts of what would happen next and then what would happen when the dreaded day came when they rearrested Serperant. She didn't want to be separated from him again.

She was so consumed with her thoughts that she didn't realise that she had ran her usual route and was standing outside of the apartment building. She let out a heavy sigh. Here was another day of them researching but finding out nothing about Serperant. She looked up at the building. But here was also a day where she and Tatsuya were finally open with each other.

She was about to walk up the steps into the building when she heard someone call her name. She turned her head to see two figures standing on the street behind her. Instantly her heart fell slightly. She hadn't expected to see them again but at the same time, their presence didn't surprise her since they had been so determined since the beginning. "How did you find us?" she asked, trying to keep the venom in her voice at bay.

The two figures, one wearing a yellow jacket with an eagle on, the other wearing a blue jacket with a shark emblem on it, exchanged a look, as though trying to convince the other that they should speak to her before the one clad in yellow rolled his eyes and took a step towards her. "We need to talk to you."

"I have nothing to say to you," Yuuri replied, completely turning around to face them. "Serperant isn't working with your Orgs anymore, so there isn't a need for us to work together. Nothing you say will change my mind."

Gaku looked back at Kai, who shrugged his shoulders. The 'Noble Eagle' turned back round. "It is imperative that we speak with you," he said to her, holding out his hands while Kai nodded fervently in agreement.

Yuuri folded her arms across her chest. She didn't have time for this. She was tired from her run and really needed a drink before delving in to try and find Serperant and Lila. "Like I said, I don't have time for this." She made to turn.

"Wait!" Kai cried, rushing forward and she turned back around. "You have to come with us."

She let out a small laugh, rolling her eyes. "Why?"

"Our, um, mentor wants to speak with you," Kai quickly said and Gaku raised his eyebrows at the word 'mentor'. Kai shrugged in response.

"Mentor?" She unfolded her arms.

Seeing that they had her attention, Gaku continued. "Our mentor wants to speak with you. She said it was important. You have to come with us."

"Come where?"

"To Gao's Rock."

"Gao's Rock?"

"It's our home. She's there and she said that you have to come so that she can speak with you."

"Why can't she come here?"

"Tetomu doesn't like to leave Gao's Rock. It's the source of her power," Kai hastily said.

Yuuri continued to frown. She didn't believe what the two Gaorangers were telling her. "No," she replied simply. She turned around and began to walk back up the steps when she felt a blunt pain on the back of her neck. Her world spun for a moment before it went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Apologies for the lateness of this chapter, but I've now got a bit of writer's block with this story.<strong>

**I also apologise for the lack of Gaoranger in this story as well, but I'm finding that writing the Timerangers is more interesting, but all of the Gaorangers will be back in the next chapter.  
><strong>

**Until then...  
><strong>


	11. Quest 11

**Quest 11**

"Did you have to hit her so hard?"

Kakeru paced backwards and forwards, his arms crossed as he watched the unconscious figure lying in front of the sacred shrine, a look of anger and annoyance clearly visible on his face. Half an hour had passed since he and other Gaorangers had awoke to discover an unconscious Yuuri lying just in front of the Holy Shrine with Gaku and Kai having looks of uncertainty and guilt on their faces. Kakeru hadn't needed to asked what they had done. Tetomu was kneeling next to Yuuri, a look of concern on her face as everyone began to discuss what had transpired.

"I-I didn't mean to," Gaku stuttered under the collective gaze of frustration and disbelief from the group. "But she wasn't going to come and… well, I couldn't think of anything else."

Kakeru shook his head. He couldn't get over the thoughtlessness of his two comrades' actions. "What were you thinking?" he asked them. "We're supposed to be trying to gain their trust, not kidnap a member of their team!" He threw his arms out, unable to contain his anger at the position they had been placed in.

"Look at it this way," Kai said, standing up from where he had been sat against the wall next to Gaku by the Holy Shrine, his arms spread out, "we wanted to speak to her alone and we've got her alone and she's in Gao's Rock without even knowing where we are."

"We never actually planned on this," Gaku added. "We just meant to go and talk to her, persuade her to come with us, but then she didn't and, well, here we are."

"How did you even find out where they were?" Shirogane asked them.

Kai scratched the back of his head, a sheepish expression on his face. "Well, we kind of went back to that Time ship on the beach," he muttered.

Kakeru let out a groan of frustration, turning away from the two. As well as kidnap a member of the team they were supposed to be gaining the trust of, they had also gone against his orders about going back into the Time ship.

"Red, I know you're angry," Kai began, "but it was the only way."

"Yeah, we had to go back," Gaku argued. "The only way we were going to find out where they were was to go back there and it worked! We found where they were. It was just… after that that things didn't go to plan."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Kakeru asked, his emotions flaring. "We're supposed to be trying to convince them that they can trust us, but you went back into their Time ship and went through records – again!" He felt the anger course through his body and he wasn't sure how long he was going to be to contain it for.

"But if we hadn't gone back, we might not have found them. Not until Serperant surfaced again, and who knows when that could be," Gaku retorted, becoming as flared up as his leader.

Kakeru shook his head again. He understood his comrades' motives, but it was the fact that they had gone against his orders that infuriated him, and it wasn't just that. They had also, for all intents and purposes, kidnapped a member of the team they were supposed to be gaining the trust of and it was that that he couldn't condone. His hands balled into fists.

"Look, let's not fight about this," Sotaro quickly interjected from his place at the stone table, where he sat with Sae, noticing the anger that was building in Kakeru and Gaku and Kakeru, in response walked over to where Shirogane was standing and slumped against the wall opposite Kai and Gaku as Gaku looked down at the floor, seething as he tried to calm himself down.

"I understand that your intentions were just," Tetomu, who had been silent the entire time, voiced, "but it is the fact that she didn't come of her own accord. That is something that I cannot forgive you for." She shook her head and stood up. "I am very disappointed in you both."

Both Gaku and Kai visibly flinched at her words. Having her approval and respect meant more to them then having that from any of the others and that fact that she was disappointed in the both of them made both of them feel increasingly guilty about their actions.

Tetomu sighed and crouched back down next to Yuuri. "This has gone on long enough," she said, pressing her hand against Yuuri's forehead and closed her eyes.

There were a few moments of silence before Yuuri's body moved slight as she gradually awoke. Her eyes slowly flickered open and she blinked a few times. She let out a gasp as the white of Tetomu's dress came into focus and she quickly sat up, panic coursing through her body, holding a hand to her throbbing neck. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice weary, trying to mask her fear and she quickly moved away from Tetomu. "And where am I?" she added hastily, getting to her feet, her body swaying momentarily.

"Stay calm," Tetomu said softly, rising with Yuuri. "We are not going to hurt you. You are with friends."

Yuuri shook her head, barely hearing the woman in front of her. It felt as if she were in some surreal dream. She couldn't make sense of what had happened. All she knew was that she had to get away and find the others. She looked down at her wrist, for her Chrono Changer, but found that it was gone. "Where's my Chrono Changer?" Her head spun slightly. "Where is it?" she shouted at the woman.

"You mean the device strapped to your wrist?" Tetomu asked. "It was removed to ensure utmost privacy."

"Where is it?" she shouted again.

"You need to calm down," Tetomu softly said, making calming motions with her hands. "You are with friends."

"What?" Yuuri's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She looked around her to try and take in her surroundings. All she could see were grey stone walls, but then she let out another gasp as her eyes fixed on the expectant Gaorangers. "You?" Her emotions instantly changed from panic to a mixture of confusion, surprise and, predominately, anger.

Kakeru took a step forward. "Yuuri," he began.

"What am I doing here?" she interrupted. "Where are the others? Where is my Chrono Changer?"

The leader of the Gaorangers looked back at his comrades before facing Yuuri again. "We didn't mean for it to turn out like this, but some of us got a bit carried away. But you have to understand that it is imperative that you agree to work with us. As for your Chrono Changer," he held it out to her, "we didn't want you to contact the other Timerangers until we had spoken to you, but if it will prove to you that all we want to do is talk," he took a step forward and placed the device in Yuuri's hand, "here."

Yuuri frowned, as she strapped her Chrono Changer back onto her wrist, before folding her arms against her chest, trying to ignore the dull pain in her neck. "I'll listen to what you have you say, but don't think for a minute that you'll change my mind. We don't need to work together," she said. "Serperant is no longer with your Orgs and you've never given us a reason to trust you." She threw her arms out around her, her anger now clearly visible in her voice. "And now you've brought me here against my will. You still expect me and my team to want to work with you?" She almost scoffed at the idea.

"We never intended to force you into coming here against your will, but Yellow and Blue panicked and acted without thinking," Kakeru said, looking over at Gaku and Kai. "Their intentions were just. Their methods… not so much and for that I apologise." He bowed to her, but she continued to frown, not convinced.

"Like I said, there isn't a reason for us to work together anymore and you've betrayed out trust too many times."

"Please, I implore you to listen," Tetomu said and Yuuri turned to face her. "There is still a reason why you must work alongside us."

"I doubt that there is anything you can say that will change my mind," Yuuri replied. "Who are you anyway?"

"I am Tetomu, priestess and keeper of Gao's Rock."

"This is the base of the Gaorangers," she muttered to herself, remember how Kai, or the one the Gaorangers referred to as 'Blue', mentioned it earlier. She then looked up at Tetomu. "What's this reason then?"

"All six Gaorangers have been suffering from very similar, almost identical, dreams," Tetomu began and Yuuri almost scoffed at the realisation that the reason was going to be based on these dreams. "They are in an underground cavern and can hear the sound of dripping water. They are then outside on a cliff edge where they can hear someone calling for help. They lean over the edge to try and help whoever it is, but they are pulled over the edge as their respective Power Animal calls for them."

Yuuri shook her head in disbelief. The Gaorangers were expecting them all to work together based on them all having similar dreams? "Dreams? You expect us to work with you based on these 'dreams'? How do you even know that there isn't some other reason as to why they are all experiencing the same dreams?"

"Because these dreams started the same time that you arrived back here," Sae spoke up.

"Coincidence," Yuuri retorted. "They more than likely have nothing to do with us."

Tetomu shook her head. "I believe differently. There is more to these dreams then is being let on." She stepped forward and took Yuuri's hand into her own. "Please, it is imperative that you work with us."

Yuuri resisted the urge to remove her hands from the Gao priestess's grip. "Why? Just because of some dreams that have nothing to do with us?" She shook her head. "I need a better reason than that."

Tetomu's grip slackened. She didn't know what it would take to convince the determined and stubborn young woman in front of her that they had to join forces.

"I know we haven't given you a reason that you understand, but this is important," Shirogane said. "It isn't about you or us, but about protecting this planet."

"Maybe…" Sotaro began, "maybe this isn't about having a reason. Maybe it's more about trust. We have to gain it first."

Yuuri turned to him. "You gain my trust and I may think about us working with you. But how do you suggest you can earn it?"

Sotaro thought for a moment. "How about we go to the Animarium?"

"Animarium?"

Sotaro nodded. "It's where our Power Animals live."

"What are Power Animals?"

"They are a manifestation of the plant's life force. They're a holy power and each of have one or more entrusted to us," Sae explained. She turned to Sotaro. "But it is forbidden for her to go up there," she reminded him.

Sotaro ignored her and turned to Tetomu, looking at her questioningly.

Tetomu thought for a moment before responding. "While Sae is correct that it is forbidden for outsiders to travel to the Animarium, I feel as if this stretches beyond extenuating circumstances. I shall allow Yuuri to go to the Animarium." She then turned to the leader of the Timerangers. "You are not to speak of what you see."

"I understand," Yuuri responded, understanding how important the secrecy of the Animarium was to the Gaorangers.

Tetomu gave her a small smile and nodded her head once in response. She turned to Kakeru. "Red, you shall accompany Yuuri and myself to the Animarium."

G|T

Yuuri let out an audible gasp as she beheld the sight of the Animarium, unable to hide her surprise. Kakeru and Tetomu watched her with amused smiles as she took in the sight before her. Yuuri stared in awe at the vast greenery in front of her. She was stood on a cliff top with thick green trees behind her, overlooking a large area, most of which appeared to a forest interspersed with patches of golden sand. A large lake lay adjacent to the forest and in the distance she could see a tall mountain, stretching beyond the clouds. From all around her, she could hear the calls of animals, though they sounded far away.

"This is the Animarium," Kakeru told her, throwing his arms out.

Yuuri continued to stare, her eyes wide and mouth open slightly. "It's beautiful," she said softly. She turned to Kakeru and Tetomu. "But what is this place?"

Tetomu smiled. "This is the home of the Power Animals," she told her. "The calls you can hear are those of the Power Animals that reside here."

Yuuri nodded. "I know that this place is special, but I'm still not convinced about working with you."

Kakeru's smile faulted at her words. Tetomu, however, continued to smile. "There is more that I must tell you about these dreams," she said. "You see, the Power Animals in the dreams and each one is connected to their respective Gaoranger. They can communicate with them."

"Okay," Yuuri replied, still not looking convinced. "But I still don't understand."

"The Power Animals only communicate with their respective Gaoranger when they sense that there is a great evil or danger coming. The Power Animals were calling to the Gaorangers to warn them of upcoming danger and then this Serperant creature arrives."

"So you're saying that these Power Animals knew that Serperant was coming?" Yuuri asked as she heard a lion roar in the distance.

"Yes," Tetomu replied. "I believe that it is not a coincidence that they experienced these dreams warning of danger and that a danger unknown to us appears."

Yuuri slowly nodded, though she still didn't believe what Tetomu was saying. "But what about us? Why should we work with you? If you want to go after Serperant because of some prophesised dreams then fine, just don't get in our way."

"Haven't you been listening to Tetomu's said?" Kakeru asked as the sound of a lion roaring echoed across the land.

"Yes, I have," Yuuri retorted. "I just don't see where we fit into it."

Kakeru let out a heavy sigh. "Come with me," he said grabbing her wrist. Yuuri made to jerk it away but his grip tightened. "Just trust me."

"Trust you?" she cried, aghast.

"Okay, not the best choice of words, but…" he let out a groan, "just come with me." He pulled her away from the cliff top, leaving Tetomu behind. He dragged her down a slope and through the forest until they came to the edge of the lake directly below where they had been standing. He looked up at Tetomu and gave her a wave before turning back to Yuuri, loosening his grip.

"What are we doing down here?" she asked, rubbing her wrist.

"You'll see," he replied, giving her a knowing smile and she responded by frowning in frustration at him. "GaoLion!"

There was silence.

"GaoLion!"

This time, his call was responded to with a loud roar making Yuuri almost jump and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble as the sound of something large running could be heard.

"What have you done?" she cried as the sound got louder.

"You'll see," he replied, unable to keep the smiling from his face as there was another loud roar and an enormous red and gold, robotic-looking lion jumped out of the forest.

Yuuri let out a loud gasp and stumbled back a few paces. The lion gave another roar and she jumped, taking more steps back.

Kakeru laughed. "There's nothing to worry about," he told her calmly and she stared at him, her eyes wide. "This is GaoLion, my Power Animal," he said proudly.

"This is a Power Animal?" she gasped as her heartbeat began to steady.

"Yep." He smiled. "He's not going to hurt you."

"You don't say," she muttered as she carefully walked back so she was standing next to Kakeru. "I didn't expect it to be so big."

"They're Power Animals, protectors of the spirits of this world. Did you expect them to be small?" He gave a small laugh.

"I don't know actually," she admitted. "But I definitely didn't expect this." She looked at the lion. "He is impressive."

Kakeru nodded eagerly. "Yep he is."

"How many of them are here?"

"I don't know, a lot," he replied. "But there are six main ones that are connected to us Gaorangers and some others that help us out."

"I see."

Kakeru nodded. "There's Blue's GaoShark, Yellow's GaoEagle, White's GaoTiger, Black's GaoBison and Silver's GaoWolf."

As he names each Gao Animal, they appeared. GaoShark leapt out of the lake, almost soaking Kakeru and Yuuri, letting out a growl as it did so, while GaoEagle soared through the sky landing on the opposite side of the lake from GaoLion. GaoTiger and GaoBison appeared together, roaring and snorting as they came to a stop next to GaoEagle, while GaoWolf let out a howl as it stood alongside the other Power Animals.

Kakeru walked over to GaoLion, beckoning Yuuri to follow him and she did so somewhat hesitantly. The giant lion lowered its head and Kakeru stroked its nose. It let out a low rumbling growl and Kakeru nodded as if the Power Animal had spoken to him. "Come here."

Yuuri tilted her head. "Why?"

"Just come here." He reached back and took hold of her wrist pulling her forward. He then lifted her hand and placed it on GaoLion's muzzle and he took a step back.

GaoLion let out another soft growl and tilted its head to one side as Yuuri smiled. Rather than feeling metal, she could feel soft fur under her fingers and she let out a soft gasp of surprise. A warmth filled her body from the touch and she found that it was a pleasant sensation, making her feel more empowered than before. GaoLion growled again as she ran her fingers across its muzzle.

"He likes you," he said to her, smiling and she let out a laugh. "Do you understand now?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied, stepping away from GaoLion and she looked at each of the other Power Animals.

"So, will you work with us?"

Yuuri turned to him. "These are truly magnificent creatures," she said. "If they protect the spirits of the world, then who am I to deny those they trust?"

"So you'll do it?"

She nodded. "I doubt the others will need much convincing," she said to him. "But I'll only agree to work with you on two conditions."

"And what are they?" he asked, feeling slightly apprehensive.

"One, that me and the Timerangers are in charge. We know a lot more about Serperant than you."

Kakeru frowned, though he understood that it made sense for the Timerangers to be in charge. "And what's the second?"

"Why do you call each other by your colours?"

"Oh, that was Yellow's idea," he said. "I think he said it was something to do with professionalism. We don't really know each other's real names. Why?"

She shook her head. "I was just curious," she replied. "I thought that maybe it was something to do with not having to form a close connection with each other," she continued and he noticed the hint of sadness in her voice. "But it seems that I was wrong. You may all act rashly and without thinking, but you all appear to be close," she quickly added, smiling.

"I never thought about it that way," he admitted. "But I can see why you would think that." He swallowed as he watched her look out at the Power Animals. "You don't like people getting close, do you?"

Yuuri turned her head so quickly that strands of hair flew out of her ponytail, whipping her face. She scowled at him.

"I didn't mean anything by it," he quickly said, holding his hands up in defence. "It's just what I've noticed about you and considering the fact that you lost a friend."

"I've been through a lot," she said, looking back at the Power Animals. "More than you would ever know. I've lost so much over my two lifetimes."

"Two lifetimes? How old are you?"

She let out a little laugh. "It's difficult to explain," she said, "but I remember two versions of my past. One before we changed our past where I lost my entire family and the second one, where they were still alive, until…"

"Until?"

She shook her head. "I can't talk about it. It's something I can barely remember, but I know it happened." She let out a soft sigh as her eyes fixed on the mountain. "I've lost too many people, that I find it easier keeping a distance from everyone. If I don't get attached then if anything happens, I won't get hurt."

Kakeru nodded. "I get that. I suppose it must be hard considering you'll be going back to the future once this is all over."

"Yeah," she said softly, remembering how once Serperant and Lila were arrested, they were going back to the future and she'll be leaving Tatsuya behind. Again.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, I can't believe how quickly I got this written!<strong>

**A slightly shorter chapter then recent ones, but I wanted to put something up before I went on holiday.  
><strong>

**Hope you enjoyed it.  
><strong>


	12. Quest 12

**Before we begin, just to let you know that the beginning of this chapter takes place _before_ chapter 11.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Quest 12<strong>

Lila sauntered through the door of her apartment, the two zennits marching behind her. Serperant slowly skulked behind them and once he was in the apartment, he went to the darkest corner and crouched down.

"What are you doing down there?" she snapped at him, turning on a nearby light, illuminating the dark room, and he let out a vehement hiss in response. Lila tutted and shook her head. "You never change, do you?" she muttered. "Always skulking around and hiding in dark corners." She let out a little laugh. "I suppose that's why Dolnero wanted you," she ended sadly, remembering her former boss. While she had quickly adjusted to being in the past, there were times when she missed him, though that was only in fleeting moments when she was first alone. She removed her coat and threw it so that it landed on the arm of the white sofa that was situated against the window before kicking off her heels and strutting into her bedroom.

Serperant's head moved, following her as he sensed her movements across the room. He had found one of the people he needed but he was confused as to where Don Dolnero was. Surely Lila was supposed to be with him.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked Serperant as she re-entered the room. She walked over to the sofa and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "Zennit!" she called. "Coffee!" One of the zennits moved from its position by the front door and marched across the room into the kitchen and Lila leant over and picked up a fashion magazine from the coffee table in front of her and flipped haphazardly through it.

Serperant let out a rasping sound, his jaw moving as if he were speaking.

Lila frowned and put her magazine down. "You're here to help Dolnero?" she repeated what she had just been told, understanding the sounds Serperant was making, confusion evident on her features.

Serperant let out another rasping sound.

Lila let out a heavy sigh. "Who sent you?" She leant forward, clasping her hands together and resting them on her knees. She was answered by another rasping sound and she nodded. "He never did know what he was doing half of the time," she moaned, talking more to herself than to Serperant. She sighed again and stood up before walking over to Serperant. She crouched down in front of him. "You're too late," she told him. "Dolnero died a year ago, so did Gein, that traitor," she mumbled the last bit to herself, remembering that it had been Gein who had killed Dolnero.

Serperant tilted his head at the word 'traitor', wondering why Lila referred to Gein as one. He was going to question her about it, but there was something more pressing on his mind: how could he have been too late? All of this had been planned. The dates correctly entered. It didn't make any sense. How could he be year too late? Anger began to boil within him. How could such a mistake have been made? What was he supposed to do now? He hissed violently, his tongue flickering viciously as his nostrils flared in rage.

"Those idiots!" Lila snapped, standing up. "How could they have made such a stupid mistake?" The zennit appeared with her cup of coffee and she took it before throwing it against the wall. The china cup instantly shattered upon impact, splattering the coffee against the cream walls, leaving behind a dark brown mark, which slowly dripped down the wall. Ignoring the mess she had made, she went back over to the sofa and threw herself back down. "All of Dolnero's carefully laid plans have gone to waste because of them. What were they thinking?" She groaned and ran a hand through her pink locks.

Serperant continued facing in her direction throughout her outburst, not moving as he regained control of his emotions. He hissed at her from his position in the corner.

"No, no," she replied, not looking at him, but at her coffee table. "The Time ships don't work like that. You can't go back in time again, not without returning to the future first." He replied with another hiss and she shook her head. "No," she said again, "that wouldn't work either, since it would reveal our insider and we need him where he is." She was silent for a moment. "Argh!" she suddenly cried. "What am I supposed to do with you?" She directed this at Serperant, who remained silent, the zennits, however, slowly retreated back. "You were supposed to help Dolnero succeed in his plans, but no, you arrive a year too late!" She pointed her finger at him. "And not only that, but you bring those Timerangers back with you!"

Serperant hissed at the mention of the Timerangers. If he couldn't help Don Dolnero, then at least he could take out the Timerangers. He communicated this with Lila.

"I suppose," she said somewhat reluctantly. "I know that was part of the reason Dolnero recruited you was because of them." She sighed. "And there is that other Sentai team too…" She began to pace back and forth in thought, trying to remember all that she had been told about their back-up plan. She knew that there was a specific reason that Dolnero had recruited him and wanted him to be part of the plan and that it wasn't just because of his marvellous work as an assassin. There was something else, but she couldn't for the life of her remember what it was. But if Dolnero had had faith in him then she also did. "Dolnero trusted that you would be able to take care of the Timerangers," she said, "so I expect you to be able to do a good job."

Serperant let out a soft hiss, informing her that he wouldn't let her down.

Lila nodded. "Zennit!" she suddenly called and the two robots quickly appeared from where they had been hiding. "Clean this up!" she snapped at them, pointing at the drying coffee stain on the wall. "I don't want it staining." And with that, she disappeared into her room, slamming her door closed.

From his position, Serperant was opposite the window, facing the dark night sky (Lila hadn't bothered to close the curtains) and let out a hiss, his tongue flickering. He didn't understand how he could have been sent to the wrong time. If this was a back-up plan, then how could it have been carried out so ineffectively? He felt as though there was something else going on, but he didn't know what. Not that it matter at the moment. He was stuck in the wrong year, but at least he would still be able to carry out his part and destroy the Timerangers.

G|T

Tatsuya sat up in his bed, breathing heavily, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He placed a hand against his head and wiped it away, confused as why he had awoken so abruptly. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about, expect hearing the sound of a lion's roar. He looked around and noticed that he was the only one awake – Ayase's bed had been neatly made – and he looked across at the clock. It read 10:13. He groaned in a mixture of frustration that he had overslept and annoyance that he had to get out of bed. He threw his covers off of him, swung his legs over the side of his bed and jumped down before quickly changing before leaving the room.

"You're finally awake then," Ayase said without looking from the newspaper he was reading, as he heard Tatsuya entering the room.

"Yeah, sorry," he mumbled in response. "Had a late night."

"Uh huh." Ayase flipped the page of the paper and continued reading.

"Domon not back yet then?"

"No. He must still be spending time with Honami-san and their baby," Sion replied from his position at the computer. "I expect they'll be back later." He sighed, turning in his chair to face Tatsuya. "It must be strange coming back to the past and finding out that you had a child."

"Yeah, weird." He looked over at Yuuri's closed door. "Isn't Yuuri up yet?" he asked, jabbing his thumb towards her door.

Sion looked at him. "She's out for a run," he replied.

"Oh, right." Tatsuya walked into the kitchen and began making himself a cup of coffee, really even more embarrassed by how much he had overslept, considering Yuuri had been up before him. He re-entered the room with a steaming cup of coffee. "How long ago did she go out?"

"Uh…" Sion thought for a moment. "About quarter to seven," he replied.

Tatsuya froze for a moment and looked at the clock. It was now almost half past ten. "She's been gone for over three hours," he said and both Sion and Ayase stopped what they were doing. "Is she usually gone for this long?"

The two other Timerangers looked at each other before turning to face Tatsuya, all three of them wearing worried looks.

"No," Ayase said. "She's usually gone for an hour, tops." He looked over at Sion who nodded his head eagerly in agreement.

"Maybe she went to see Domon-san and Honami-san," he suggested.

"Maybe…"

Ayase lifted his wrist and spoke into his Chrono Changer. "Domon."

There was a few seconds of silence before Domon responded. "Yo, Ayase, what's up?"

"Yuuri isn't with you, is she?"

"No. Why would she be?"

"No reason. Just thought we'd check." Ayase let out a heavy sigh.

"Is something going on?" Domon's voice asked.

"No, nothing for you to worry about. Thanks, Domon." Ayase ended the communication and looked at the other two. "She's not there."

Tatsuya shared a look of worry with the other two before speaking into his own Chrono Changer. "Yuuri," he began. He waited, but there was no response. "Yuuri," he repeated. When there was still no response, he turned to Taku. "Can you find her?" he asked the robotic owl.

Taku opened his eyes. "I can't find her," he said, shaking his head.

The three male Timerangers looked at each other, surprised. All of three of them began to feel increasingly panicked.

"She has to be somewhere," Ayase said. "Does this building have security cameras?"

"I shall try and access them," Taku replied and Sion linked him up to the computer. The navigator owl closed his eyes and the three males watched apprehensively, waiting. After a few minutes, Taku's eyes shot open. "I found her!"

The three men leaned in close to computer as a video came up of Yuuri talking to two men on the steps outside of the building.

"Who are they?" Sion asked, leaning in closer.

"I can't make them out," Ayase replied. "They're too far away."

Tatsuya bit his lip nervously. He knew that the two men in the video with Yuuri had something to do with her disappearance.

"Isn't there any sound so we can hear what they're saying?" Ayase asked.

Taku shook his head. "This is the best I can do," he said sadly.

"You've done a good job," Sion replied, patting Taku on his head. "Hopefully this'll show us what happened."

They continued to watch as Yuuri and the two men continued their conversation. All three feeling increasing anxious about was going to happen the longer the video continued. They watched as Yuuri, apparently fed up of the conversation, turned around to head back into the building when one of them ran up behind her and hit her in the back of her neck with the side of his hand, knocking her out. Sion let out a gasp of surprise as they watched her fall to the ground, into the arms of the person who had hit her.

Tatsuya felt his blood begin to boil as he watched. She had been attacked and kidnapped right on their doorstep and he had been too busy sleeping!

"Wait, stop the video," Ayase called and Taku instantly froze it, leaving a frozen image of Yuuri and the two men, whose faces were now clearly visible as the second man had rushed up to help the first with Yuuri.

"Isn't that…" Sion gasped upon recognising their faces.

Tatsuya looked at the screen and felt a sudden flash of anger. "Gaku and Kai."

G|T

"I don't get it," Domon said, pacing up and down. "Why would they take Yuuri?"

As soon as they had recognised the faces of the two kidnappers, they had called Domon, who had rushed back with Honami and Mirai, informing of them of what had transpired. At first, Domon had been reluctant to believe that the two Gaorangers were responsible, considering the fact that they had been trying to gain their trust, but as soon as he had seen the video, his own anger grew and it took the combined efforts of all three of the other male Timerangers to keep him from storming out of the apartment – though Ayase and Sion had already had to do this with Tatsuya after he had overcame the initial shock of what he and seen and who was now still boiling with rage.

"We don't know," Ayase replied for what felt the hundredth time. He sighed and folded his arms against his chest. They had been repeating the same conversations since they had seen the footage on the computer and were still trying to understand what the Gaorangers wanted with Yuuri.

Honami rocked Mirai in her arms as the child began to stir slightly. "There must be some reasonable explanation," she voiced. "Maybe they never initially intended to kidnap her. Maybe they just wanted to talk to her but things got… out of hand."

The Timerangers looked at each other. That thought had already crossed their minds, but what they couldn't understand was why they just spoke to Yuuri.

"But why just speak to Yuuri-san?" Sion said. "They know how stubborn she is about working with them. Why not approach one of us instead?"

Honami shrugged her shoulders. "Like you said, she's stubborn. Maybe they thought that they could convince her and that's why they only spoke to her and when she didn't listen or agree, they didn't know what else to do so they took to try and convince her again."

"This is ridiculous," Domon almost shouted. "How could they do something like this?"

Mirai stirred more in Honami's arms and began to make crying sounds at the sound of his father's raised voice. Honami quickly shushed him, rocking him back and forth in her arms, humming a soft tune to quieten her son, shooting Domon an annoyed look as she did so.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just don't get it."

"None of us do," Honami said gently. She felt the same way as the four males did, but she knew that there had to be a reasonable explanation as to what had happened. She looked over at Tatsuya who saw sat staring at the frozen image of Yuuri on the computer screen. She walked over to him and rearranged Mirai in her arms so that she could place her hand on Tatsuya's shoulder. "She'll be alright," she said softly in an attempt to comfort him, since she knew how much he and Yuuri cared about each other. "They won't do anything to her."

Tatsuya tore his eyes away from the computer and turned to face Honami. "You don't know that," he almost spat at her.

"Oi! Don't talk to her like that!" Domon stomped forward.

Honami shook her head. "No, it's alright," she said. "He's just upset." She turned back to Tatsuya. "You're all Sentais. You're here to protect the planet and the people. They know the difference between right and wrong and I'm sure that all of this is just a misunderstanding."

"If that's the case then why haven't they contacted us to tell us so?" Tatsuya retorted.

Honami stopped. She hadn't thought of that. If it was all just a mistake then why hadn't the Gaorangers tried to contact them? "I don't know," she admitted.

Tatsuya stood up abruptly. "I need some air," he said, walking out of the apartment, slamming the door as he did so. Instantly Mirai began crying.

"Bastard," Domon muttered. "We're all just trying to help."

"Domon, language!" Honami cried, agast, as she set about trying to settle her child once more.

"Sorry," Domon quickly apologised. "But that guy can be such a jerk sometimes."

Sion looked back at the door Tatsuya had just exited though. "Should we go after him?" he asked, clearly worried.

Honami followed his gaze and shook her head. "Leave him be," she said. "He needs some time to calm down."

"He sure has taken this pretty hard," Ayase commented, also looking at the door.

"What do you expect?" Domon replied. "They've just been reunited and now she's missing. I know that if it was Honami that had been kidnapped I'd be pretty messed up too." He leant over and kissed her cheek before pressing his lips against his son's forehead.

G|T

The mid afternoon sun shone down as Tatsuya walked the streets of the city. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing, he just had to get out of the apartment. He wanted to find the Gaorangers and get Yuuri back and give the Gaorangers – particularly Gaku and Kai – a good beating for what they had done. He laughed to himself as he remembered their words about working together and about trust. He definitely no longer trusted them, especially since it appeared that they were capable of assaulting and abducting another Senshi. Not to mention that that Senshi was the woman he was in love with. There was nothing that could be said or done that would make him forgive them.

He shook out and let out a frustrated cry that made passerbies on the street look at him. But he ignored them. He just needed to find a way to get Yuuri back, but how was he supposed to do that if he had no idea where she or the Gaorangers were?

He continued walking, so lost in thought that he didn't realise that instead of walking on concrete, he was walking on sand. The sound of waves crashing against each other stirred him from his thoughts and he found that he had arrived back at the beach where the _Jikan _Time ship was. He groaned. This was the last place he wanted to be, but regardless, he approached the ship, staring at it as if it held all of the answers he was searching for. "Where are you, Yuuri?" he muttered to himself.

As if in answer to his question, his Chrono Changer started beeping, telling him that he was being contacted, startling him. He raised his wrist and pressed his Chrono Changer, speaking into it. "Hello?"

"Tatsuya?"

"Yuuri?" he gasped, recognising the voice. "Where are you? Are you alright?" His voice came out quick and panicky.

"I'm fine," Yuuri's voice replied. "I'm with the Gaorangers." She paused. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see the gesture, though he instantly felt relieved and relaxed at knowing that she was safe and alright. "I am now," he told her. "The Gaorangers didn't hurt you did they? We saw the camera footage."

"Camera footage? No, no they didn't hurt me," she said. "They just wanted to talk."

"Talk?" Tatsuya's anger began to rise again and Yuuri noticed this as the tone of his voice changed.

"I'm fine, really," she softly told him. "I'll explain everything as soon as I'm with you. Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?" he asked, biting back a retort about the Gaorangers.

"That you don't hurt the Gaorangers."

He paused. _Not hurt the Gaorangers? What could have happened for her to say something like that?_ "Why should I?"

He heard Yuuri make a sound as if she were frustrated. "Just trust me, okay?"

"Fine," he replied. He trusted her more than anyone and just hoped that she wasn't being coerced into anything.

"Okay," she sighed. "Where are you?"

"At the beach. By _Jikan_," he replied, looking up at the ship as he did so.

"_Jikan_? What are you doing there?"

Tatsuya let out a short laugh. "I don't know," he admitted and he heard her laugh on the other end.

"Okay," she said softly. "I'll be there shortly."

"I'll be waiting," he told her, wishing that he could see her face as he heard her end the transmission. He sighed deeply, lowering his arm. Even though they had only been separated for a few hours, it felt a lot longer, which he found strange considering they had spent the last year apart. "It just shows how much I miss her," he muttered to himself as he raised his wrist once more to speak into him Chrono Changer and inform the others of what was happening. As he spoke to them, he heard the sounds of their relief that Yuuri was alright before informing them that they were on their way, with Domon stating that he was going to give the Gaorangers a good kick up the ass for all the trouble they had caused, which resulted in Sion warning him about his language again.

He threw himself down onto the sand and stared at his Chrono Changer as he waited. Everyone seemed so calm about the fact that Yuuri was fine, but he couldn't rid himself of the anger that he felt towards the Gaorangers. As far as he was concerned, they had obliterated any chance of them working together with their little stunt.

The sky was beginning to turn a golden orange colour when he heard the sound of people coming towards him. He looked up to see all six of the Gaorangers and Yuuri. "Yuuri!" he called, standing up.

From where he was standing, he saw her face light up as she heard him call her name. "Tatsuya!"

His face broke into a smile as he walked towards them. They met halfway, with the Gaorangers standing a few paces behind Yuuri, but he ignored them, keeping his focus on the woman in front of him. "You're alright?" he said, placing a hand on her cheek.

Yuuri responded by giving him a small smile as she placed her hand on top of his. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I'm probably going to have a sore neck, but I'm fine."

He nodded in response before removing his hand and pulling her to him, wrapping his arms around her and she responded in kind.

The Gaorangers watched the two Timerangers and Sae turned to Gaku and Kai. "This is why you sometimes really need to think about your actions," she said to the two of them.

"Yeah, yeah," Gaku muttered, taking a step towards Tatsuya and Yuuri. "Look, I'm sorry."

At the sound of Gaku addressing them, the two Timerangers broke apart and the expression on Tatsuya's face instantly changed from one of happiness and relief to one of pure anger. "You're sorry?" He walked over to the Yellow Gaoranger and raised his fist, punching him in the face with such force that Gaku staggered back, falling onto the sand, clutching a hand to his nose which was streaming with blood. Instantly the Gaorangers were at their comrade's side as Yuuri dived in front of Tatsuya, placing her hands against his chest.

"Tatsuya, don't," she said, looking up at him, panic in her eyes. She had never seen him loose control like that. "I know that he deserved it, but, just, don't."

Tatsuya was breathing heavily and he shook his hand, trying to relieve some of the pain that was throbbing in it from the impact. Upon hearing her voice, he looked down at her face and his breathing instantly began to steady. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "I just so angry and worried about you. I don't know what I was thinking."

She shook her head at him. "It's alright," she told him. She was about to say something else when she heard a shout and turned to see the remaining Timerangers running across the sand towards them.

"Yuuri! Tatsuya!" Ayase shouted.

"Yuuri-san, you're alright," Sion said happily as they came to a stop next to them.

Domon looked over at Gaku who was being helped to his feet by the other Gaorangers, blood still streaming from his nose. "Damn, what happened to you?" he asked, unable to keep the smile from his face at the sight.

"Tatsuya punched him," Sae said, a look of displeasure on her face.

Domon laughed and turned to Tatsuya, clasping his shoulder. "Damn, I didn't know you had it in you." He laughed again and looked over at the Gaorangers. "So this is what happens when someone messes with your girl?"

Both Tatsuya and Yuuri blushed at this, while the other three Timerangers shared amused looks.

"I don't see what's so funny," Gaku retorted. "That bloody well hurt." He pushed the side of his nose and an audible crack could be heard, making Sae, Kai and Sion wince. He then rubbed his nose.

"Serves you right, though," Kakeru said and Gaku shot him a look, which he ignored as he approached the Gaorangers. "I'm sorry for the actions of Yellow and Blue," he said. "They just wanted to talk to Yuuri alone and when that didn't work, well…" He shrugged his shoulders.

"They took me to Gao's Rock, their base," Yuuri continued. "I listened to Tetomu, the priestess of Gao's Rock and to Kakeru." She turned so that she was facing her own comrades. "I saw and felt some things and I've decided that we should work with the Gaorangers."

"What?" Tatsuya was surprised at what he was hearing. "After what they did to you, you want to work with them?"

"I know it seems weird considering their actions, but when I was there," she let out a sigh as she remembered the power that coursed through her when she touched GaoLion, "Tetomu and Kakeru explained some things to me and I understand now."

"Understand what? I don't understand."

Yuuri looked over at Kakeru, who nodded. "Tetomu believed that the identical dreams the six of us have been experiencing are connecting us to you guys. The dreams were a way of our Power Animals telling us that something was coming – that you and Serperant were coming. Tetomu decided that we have to work together in order to defeat Serperant and the Orgs."

"I've met the Power Animals," Yuuri said, turning back to the Timerangers. "That's why I changed my mind."

Ayase, Domon and Sion nodded in agreement.

"That's what I've been saying all along," Domon said, "that we need to work together."

Ayase elbowed Domon in the side.

"Ow! Damn it Ayase. What was that for?" he asked as Sion laughed, knowing that that hadn't been Domon's opinion the entire time.

Yuuri looked at Tatsuya who hadn't responded. She took his bruising hand into both of his. She gently rubbed it and he looked at her. "I know you don't see eye-to-eye with them at the moment, but I know that this is the right thing to do. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I trust you," he responded softly.

She smiled. "Good and just so you know, we're the ones in charge, right?" she directed at Kakeru who nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Tatsuya said, somewhat reluctantly, "but if they put one toe out of line–"

"You can punch them as hard as you like," she finished for him with a warm smile, which he returned.

He moved around Yuuri, who let go of his hand, so that he was facing Kakeru. He held out his hand. "Here's to teamwork," he said.

Kakeru clasped his hand and shook it. "To teamwork."

"Ah, isn't this nice," a voice said, breaking the two Red's apart, all of them instantly taking up stances (Gaku ignoring his bleeding nose, though it had now abated slightly) as they were confronted with the sight of Lila with Serperant at her side. "The two Sentais getting all cosy with each other."

"What do you want Lila?" Ayase shouted at her.

"I don't want anything," she replied nonchalantly. "Serperant on the other hand…" She stood to one side, allowing her comrade full sensory view of the eleven people in front of him. He let out a vehement hiss as Lila smiled broadly.

Serperant lifted his sniper rifle and fixed it on one of the eleven, letting his finger pull back and let go of the trigger in one swift movement before they had a chance to react. His mouth curved into a smile.

He hadn't missed.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, this actually took me only a few hours to write! What is wrong with me?<strong>

**So, we're _finally_ getting back to some action and fights with the next chapter - yay(!)  
><strong>


	13. Quest 13

**Quest 13**

There was an agonising groan as the bullet from Serperant's sniper rifle hit its intended victim. But Serperant's smile faltered as he sensed that his victim was still standing, was still alive. While his shot had hit, it obviously hadn't struck his victim in the right place.

"Yuuri!" Tatsuya cried as she collapsed against him, holding her side which was bleeding profusely, a section of her blue jacket already so covered with blood that it turned a dark purple, almost black, colour. She let out another cry of pain as he slowly lowered her to the ground, falling onto his knees as he did so, resting her head against his arm as he pressed one of his hands over hers in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Kakeru and the other Timerangers knelt down next to the two, as the Gaorangers kept a watchful eye of Serperant's movements.

Serperant, however, froze at hearing Yuuri's name and lowered the rifle slightly as the image of two girls surrounded by bloody dead bodies shot through his mind, the name 'Yuuri' echoing as the smaller girl in the image called for the taller one. Pushing the image out of his mind, he raised his rifle again, aiming it back towards the Timerangers and Gaorangers, while Lila laughed and clapped her hands happily.

"Tatsuya…" Yuuri whispered as she made to stand, but the pain was too much and she let out a hiss, clenching her eyes shut.

"It's alright, I'm here," he replied, his voice feeling thick and heavy as he held her tightly to him, memories of Naoto's death coursing through his mind as he remembered how he too had been shot and then had died in his arms. "Don't try and move, okay." He swallowed, trying to focus of Yuuri rather than the memories of Naoto's death. "You're going to be alright."

She opened her eyes and he was surprised to see her brown orbs glossed over, shining brightly with tears. "Why are you crying?"

Tatsuya blinked and felt a wetness on the brim of his eyes. "I'm not," he told her, giving her a small smile.

"God damn," Gaku snarled, glancing over.

"Oh my God!" Sae gasped, covering her mouth and turning away from the sight.

Yuuri heard their voices. "How bad is it?"

Tatsuya swallowed and turned to Kakeru, unsure of what to say.

"It's just a small graze," Kakeru said to her, his hands also pressed against her wound, though she apparently hadn't noticed. "You'll be fine after some rest."

Tatsuya looked back down at her as she nodded her head in response to Kakeru and he noticed the expression in her eyes. It was one he had never seen Yuuri have before. She was scared and it was something that made his blood run cold with fear. He had never seen her scared before and that, in turn, was something that pertrified him.

"Tatsuya!" Ayase, who had been keeping an eye on Serperant and Lila, shouted. "Get her out of here. We'll take care of Serperant."

Tatsuya, who, along with Kakeru, had their hands pressed against Yuuri's wound which were covered in blood as she let out another cry, was brought out of his thoughts and he looked up at the Red Gaoranger. He hated the thought of leaving the battle.

"Go," Kakeru said to him. "She needs you. We'll be fine." Tatsuya nodded as Kakeru removed his jacket and placed it to Yuuri's side, moving her hands quickly from her wound, so he could place is jacket in their place, before putting her hands back on top of it. She let out another cry. "Go!" he repeated, standing up and taking out his G-Phone.

In one quick movement, Tatsuya swept Yuuri into his arms and took off across the sand as Ayase called for the Time Flyer with his Chrono Changer and moments later, the hovercraft arrived and lowered itself so that Tatsuya could step onto it without jostling Yuuri.

Ayase turned back around so that he was facing Serperant. "You bastard," he spat, raising his arm with the Chrono Changer attached to it, as Domon and Sion mimicked his action. "Chrono Changer!" he yelled, pressing the large oval button in the centre of the device, instantly transforming into Time Blue as Domon and Sion transformed into Time Yellow and Time Green respectively.

Kakeru, whose heart was beating ferociously in anger, turned to the Gaorangers. "Ready?"

They all held up their G-Phones and Shirogane raised his wrist with his G-Brace. "Ready!" they called.

"Gao Access!" They all yelled simultaneously, pressing their respective numbers on their device. "Summon, spirit of the Earth!" They then all transformed into the Gaorangers.

Domon stepped forward, his body almost shaking with anger. "You son of a bitch!" he spat, pointing his finger at Serperant. "You'll pay for what you've done to Yuuri." He summoned his Arrow Vector and ran at Serperant, making to slash him across his chest, but the Londarz member skilfully avoided the attack, jumping back. "You bastard!" he shouted. "You coward! Come and fight!"

Serperant's tongue flickered as he replaced his sniper rifle with his sword. It was easier and more efficient to use in close combat then the rifle.

Ayase and Sion, with their Arrow Vectors ran forward to join Domon in attacking Serperant, but the Londarz member sensed each of their attacks and was able to easily evade them. He slashed at all three of them in one movement, causing them to stumble back.

"Let's go," Kakeru said to the other Gaorangers and they nodded, their black claws bared at the ends of their fingers.

The six Gaorangers spread out as they rushed to combat Serperant and help out the remaining Timerangers. They approached Serperant from all sides, but he sensed their movements through the sand and lashed out with his sword, spinning around as he did so, striking all of the Gaorangers, forcing them back.

"Dammit!" Gaku snapped. "How does he do that?"

"He can sense our movements," Sion shouted back at him.

Sotaro turned his head towards the Timerangers. "How are we supposed to be able to attack him then?"

The Timerangers looked at each other, trying to remember how Serperant had been arrested the first time, but none of them could remember.

"What do we do?" Sion asked.

Ayase changed his Arrow Vector to his Vol Launcher. He looked at Domon and Sion. "We're going to keep fighting until we take that bastard down," he told them and taking advantage of the fact that the Gaorangers were distracting Serperant, he aimed his Vol Launcher at Serperant and fired.

Serperant who continued to slash at the Gaorangers and evade their futile and pointless attacks hadn't sensed Ayase attacks and was warned at the last moment when he heard Lila shout at him. He made to dive to one side, but the attack hit his shoulder, throwing him to the sand awkwardly.

"Serperant!" Lila cried.

Serperant rolled over and pulled out his rifle, firing quickly in the direction of where the shot had come from, but the Timerangers had already moved and the shot hit the sand harmlessly.

"Get out of the way!" Ayase shouted at the Gaorangers, who, without a second thought, listened and quickly moved away from Serperant as both Ayase and Domon hit him with their Arrow Vectors as they spun through the air.

Serperant staggered back from the force of the two attacks. He hissed and was about to fire again when Sion appeared in the air behind him, his own Arrow Vector held up, pointing at the sky.

"Big Six!" he shouted, but before he could complete the attack, he let out a surprised cry and fell to the ground.

"Sion!" Domon and Ayase rushed to their fallen comrade's side.

"I'm alright," Sion told them. "Nothing to worry about." Though he winced slightly when he put his hand on his back where he had been shot, but he knew better then to complain, considering Yuuri's wound. He could cope.

Domon helped him to his feet. "Good," he said. "But who shot you?"

They turned to see Lila standing directly behind where Sion had been, her gun in her hand and a small smirk of satisfaction on her face.

A shout of "Evil, Disperse!" startled both the Timerangers and Lila as a bright sphere of light shot in-between them, hitting Serperant, who was struggling to get to his feet after the Timerangers' attack and was thrown backwards by the power of it. The Timerangers turned to see the Gaorangers with their Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken.

"Thanks for that," Ayase said as he, Sion and Domon rushed over to them, Lila going over to Serperant.

"No problem," Kakeru replied. "It looked like you needed a hand."

Sion nodded his head. "Thanks," he said. He then pointed at the long combination weapon in Kakeru's hands. "What's that?"

"This is our Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken," he replied.

"It's made up of our different weapons," Kai added. "See, there's my Shark Cutters." He pointed at two small, blue fin shaped weapons which were positioned either side of an axe-like weapon. "Don't you have anything like this?"

"Sort of," Sion began, but he was prevented from saying anything else by Gao Silver.

"We really should concentrate on the matter at hand," he said to them.

"Of course," Ayase agreed. "We need to hurry up and take care of those two so we can check on Yuuri."

Beneath her helmet, Sae bit her lip nervously. "I hope she's okay," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Sion said to Ayase and Domon, holding the same sentiments as Sae.

Ayase and Domon looked at each other and even though they couldn't see each other's faces, they knew that they were sharing identical looks of uncertainty, but they knew that they had to be optimistic and positive for Sion.

"Of course she'll be fine," Ayase said, clasping a hand on Sion's shoulder, feigning a happiness that he didn't feel.

"Yeah, 'course she is," Domon added. "Tatsuya's with her and there's no way that he'd let anything happen to her."

Sion nodded, comforted by their words. He knew that Tatsuya would take care of her no matter what.

"Right," said Gaku, clapping his hands together. "So what do we say we take care of these guys so we can make sure your friend is alright?"

"Let's do it!" Domon punched his fist into his hand, eager to take care of Lila and Serperant.

In unison, the nine Senshi's turned to face Lila and Serperant, who was now back on his feet, a small trickle of dark blood running down his arm, staining the white of his robes, though he ignored it, not making any attempt to stem the bleeding. Lila was almost snarling at the group before her, her rage amplified by their determination.

The two groups prepared themselves for their upcoming attacks; the Gaorangers positioning themselves to use their Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken, as Gao Silver switched his hustler rod to sniper mode, while the Timerangers held out their respective Vol weapons.

"Let's quickly end this," Ayase said to them, aiming his Vol Launcher at Serperant and Lila.

The others nodded in unison as they, too, aimed their weapons at the two Londarz members.

"You know what to do," Lila whispered to Serperant, running her hand down his unharmed arm.

Serperant hissed in response before lifting his sniper rifle, aiming it at the group in front of them.

"Evil, Disperse!" the Gaorangers shouted, firing their Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken the same time that Gao Silver and the Timerangers fired at Serperant.

The Londarz member also fired his own weapon and it sailed between the other attacks, striking Ayase's left knee, causing him to groan as it hit him and he fell to one knee. Serperant was about to move out of the day before the five attacks fired at him could hit, but instead the attacks hit some humanoid-like figures that had suddenly appeared. There was a flash of blinding white light, causing the Gaorangers, Timerangers and Lila to shield their eyes, the humanoid figures disintegrating due to the power of the attacks.

"What the hell?" Gaku gasped.

The light slowly faded and both the Timerangers and Gaorangers blinked a few times, trying to remove the multi-coloured spots of light from their eyes. After a few moments, their eyesight cleared and Sae let out a gasp upon seeing Tsue Tsue standing in front of Serperant and Lila.

Ayase staggered back to his feet. Due to his Chrono suit, the shot from Serperant had only resulted in a light graze on his knee. He limped a couple of paces over to Domon and rested his arm on his shoulder in order to keep his balance.

"You alright?" Domon asked.

"Yeah." Ayase nodded in response.

"Tsue Tsue?" Sotaro gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Kakeru asked, stepping forward, the Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken having disappeared with the blinding light, leaving him with his Lion Fang claw-like weapon.

Tsue Tsue didn't respond. Instead, she aimed her staff at them and a blast of light shot out of the end hitting the sand at their feet, causing it to fly into the air, creating a wall.

With the Gaorangers and Timerangers unable to see, Tsue Tsue grabbed hold of both Serperant and Lila. "You're coming with me," she said.

Lila pushed Tsue Tsue's hand off of her. "I don't think so," she spat.

The Duchess Org scowled. "It's Ura-sama's orders."

"Ura-sama?" Lila questioned, but before she had a chance to say or do anything else, Tsue Tsue grabbed hold of her arm again and the three disappeared.

"Dammit!" Domon snapped once the sand had abated to reveal that the three villains had disappeared.

"They've teamed up again… argh!" Gaku let out a groan of frustration.

"What do we do now?" Kai asked, as they all ended their transformations.

"We check in with Tatsuya on how Yuuri is," Ayase replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He limped forward, beginning to make his way across the sand. "Argh," he groaned as the pain from his knee shot through his body.

"We need to get your knee checked out," Sion said, running after him.

Ayase let out a snort as he looked down at his wounded knee. There was a small patched of his trousers burned away, revealing the red wound underneath. "It's just a graze," he said, looking at Sion. He gave him a small reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Sion didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway. "Okay."

Ayase continued to smile as he clasped his hand on the youngster's shoulder. "We have better things that we need to be worrying about," he reminded him.

"That's right," Domon agreed, standing next to Ayase, allowing the Blue Timeranger to lean against him once more for support. "I'll check in with Tatsuya as we walk," he said.

"Uh…"

The three Timerangers turned to see that the Gaorangers looked unsure as to what to do. Ayase looked at them questioningly.

"Is alright if we come too?" Kakeru asked, somewhat nervous.

The Timerangers continued to look at them, not replying.

"We know that we don't know Yuuri well at all, but we just want to see how she is," Shirogane added.

Ayase looked round at Domon and Sion. The Yellow and Green Timerangers gave short nods and Ayase turned back to the Gaorangers. "Okay," he said to them. He paused. "But if Tatsuya wants you to go–"

Gaku lifted both of his hands up. "We'll go," he finished, knowing that the Red Timeranger wasn't particularly happy with him.

As they walked across the sand, Domon attempted to contact Tatsuya and after a few attempts, he succeeded. "How is she?" he asked the instant contact had been made.

There was a silence on the other end and for a moment, Domon feared that he had lost contact, but then Tatsuya's voice came through. "We're at the hospital."

Domon nodded, while Tatsuya hadn't answered his question, he knew it best not to ask again. "We're on our way."

G|T

The Timerangers and Gaorangers arrived at the hospital, each of them out of breath from having run all the way from the beach, not noticing the startled and confused looks of the passerby's as they ran past. All they had been focused on was reaching the hospital as quickly as possible.

Despite his wounded knee, Ayase had also ran the entire way and was now collapsed in the closest chair, his eyes closed and hands clutching his knee as he willed the painful throbbing to stop.

Domon approached the reception desk. "Where is she?" he asked, panting heavily, banging his fists on the wooden top.

The receptionist looked up at him, startled. "May I ask as to whom you are inquiring?" she politely asked.

"Where is she?" Domon shouted, banging his fists on the counter again, not realising that he hadn't given Yuuri's name.

"Sir," the receptionist said nervously, "please calm down."

Domon furiously shook his head. "Tell me where she is?"

Kakeru and Sotaro rushed over and grabbed Domon away from the receptionist as Sion took his place.

"Calm down," Kakeru said to Domon, struggling to hold him back.

"Sir," the receptionist addressed Kakeru, who stopped and looked at her. "Your hands," she said jerking her head at his hands and he followed her motion, seeing that his hands had been stained red.

"It's not my blood," he informed her, remembering how he had also had his hands pressed against Yuuri's wound. "I should go and wash it off," he muttered as he and Sotaro pulled Domon away towards the chairs.

Sion looked back at Domon before looking at the receptionist, Shirogane and Gaku at his side. "I apologise for my friend," he said to her, "but he's just worried about our friend."

"I can see that," she replied coolly. "How may I help you?"

"Our friend was brought here with a gunshot wound," Sion explained.

"Mmhm." The receptionist nodded, waiting for Sion to continue, and when he didn't, she let out a sigh of frustration.

Gaku elbowed Sion in his side. "Giver her Yuuri's name," he hissed.

"Oh, right. Her name's Yuuri-san," Sion told the receptionist, who began typing information into her computer.

"Last name?"

Sion gave it and the receptionist continued typing into her computer. After a couple of minutes, in which Gaku tapped his foot impatiently, she looked up. "Your friend has just gone into theatre, but you can wait in the waiting area on the fourth floor. Just follow the signs."

Sion lowered his head to her. "Thank you." He looked back at the others and saw that Ayase was still clutching his leg, while Domon was sat in the chair next to him, his head in his hands. He turned back to the receptionist. "Is it possible for someone to look at my friend's leg?"

The receptionist looked around him at Ayase and let out a heavy sigh. "Of course," she replied.

"Thank you," Sion said again and he, Gaku and Shirogane walked back over to the others as the receptionist called for a nurse to look at Ayase's leg.

"You shouldn't have bothered," Ayase groaned.

"We're at a hospital," Sion reminded him. "You might as well get it checked out."

"So, what's going on?" Kai asked and Domon lifted his head to listen.

"She didn't really say," Sion replied. "Only that she's in theatre and that we can't wait on the fourth floor."

"I guess that's where Tatsuya is then," Domon said.

Ayase let out a groan of resignation as a nurse appeared and approached him. "I'll see you up there then," he sighed, as the nurse escorted him through a set of double doors to check out his leg.

The remaining Timerangers and Gaorangers silently filtered up to the fourth floor with trepidation. Every single one of them filled with worry about what news awaited them.

"How is it you know where you're going?" Sae asked, breaking the silence as they exited the lift that had carried them to the fourth floor. Her question directed at Sion and Domon who appeared to know exactly where they were going.

"We've been here a couple of times," Sion replied, noting Domon's pursed lips and hard expression and knowing that he didn't want to speak and only worry about Yuuri.

"Oh," Sae replied. She looked at her comrades. They had never had to set foot in a hospital. Tetomu had always been able to heal their injuries.

"Is this where Naoto died?" Kai asked without thinking and then let out a groan as he realised what he had said.

Both Domon and Sion stopped walking. Domon turned around. "I don't think so, but we don't know," he said harshly.

Sion turned and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "We weren't here," he told them. "Tatsuya-san is the only one who knows how Naoto-san died." He looked away sadly.

Domon threw Kai a hated look before he turned around and continued walking down the corridor, the Gaorangers slowly following. As they began walking, Gaku hit Kai across the back of his head and the Blue Gaoranger ducked his head, holding a hand to where he had been hit.

"Idiot," Gaku muttered.

The last moments of the journey were conducted in silence until they arrived at the waiting room. They entered to see Tatsuya, deep in thought, pacing up and down the room. Sion rushed over to him, wrapping his arms around him, startling the Red Timeranger who stopped pacing.

Sion looked up at him, not surprised to see that Tatsuya's eyes were red-rimmed and shining. "Is Yuuri-san okay?" he asked as he let go.

Tatsuya looked at the Gaorangers. "What are you doing here?" he asked harshly. They noticed that his face was pale and they could make out a dark red stain on his checkered red shirt, his hands still stained with blood.

"We just wanted to see how Yuuri was," Kakeru explained.

Tatsuya stared at them for a moment, as if unsure as to whether or not to believe them. After a couple of moments, he replied. "She's in surgery."

Domon nodded. "We were told that." He walked over and placed his hand on Tatsuya's shoulder in a comforting manner.

Tatsuya stared at Domon's hand before looking at him. "I didn't know what to do. I called my father and he said he'll take care of everything," he said, his voice coming out quickly. "He told the authorities that the City Guardians would deal with whoever shot her."

"What do you mean?" Kakeru asked.

"The hospital wanted to know who shot of and I couldn't tell them. They wanted to call the police, but after I called my father, he told them that the City Guardians were going to deal with it. He knows it was a member of the Londarz family." He looked around. "Where's Ayase?"

"Downstairs," Domon replied. "He got shot by Serperant as well."

"What?"

"He's fine. He was in his Chrono suit, so that took most of the damaged, left him with a graze and a limp. He's just getting it checked out."

"Oh, okay." Tatsuya sank into the closest chair, his head in his hands. He had panicked then, worried that he was about to lose another friend, another member of the team. Memories of Naoto's death suddenly coursed through his mind again. He shook his head. He wasn't going to lose Yuuri. Naoto had been ready to die, he had known it was coming, had accepted it, but Yuuri… she still had so much more left. She wasn't going to die, not like this.

Domon, Sion and the Gaorangers silently sat in the chairs dotted around the room and waited for news, each of them filled with their own thoughts and worries. After half an hour, Ayase joined them and without a word, he limped over to a chair and sat in it, understanding the situation clearly.

Time seemed to slow as they sat and waited. Every now and then, one of the Timerangers would stand and leave the room to find out what was happening and every time they returned, everyone lifted their heads hopefully and each time, they were replied with a shake of a head. The silence in the room was increasingly deafening, but no one said anything, too lost in their own thoughts and fears on the situation.

After what seemed like an eternity to the two teams, the door to the waiting room opened and a doctor dressed in a long white coat entered. Instantly everyone's heads shot up, waiting to hear the news.

"Mr Asami," the doctor called and Tatsuya stood up and approached the man.

"How is she? Is she alright?" he asked, feeling his blood drain as he thought of the outcomes.

The doctor gave a small nod of the head and a smile. "Your friend made it out of surgery," he said and everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. "She's currently resting."

Tatsuya smiled. "Thank you," he said.

"Yes!" Domon cried happily, punching Sion's shoulder.

"Mr Asami," the doctor said again, "may I have a word?"

Tatsuya nodded and followed the doctor out of the room, signalling to the others where he was going. "When can I see her?" he asked.

The doctor stopped walking and turned to him. "You can see her now," he said to him. "But I have to tell that she is currently connected to a ventilator."

Tatsuya's smile instantly faded. "What? Why? You said that she was fine."

The doctor sighed. "I said that she made it out of surgery," he reiterated. "But there were some complications–"

"Complications?" He felt his heart stop at those words.

The doctor nodded sadly. "It appeared that the bullet nicked the bottom of her right lung. While we managed to repair the damage, we thought it best to connect her to the ventilator, just until she's fully stabilised."

Tatsuya nodded dumbly, trying to process what he was being told. "So, she's going to be alright?" he asked hesitantly.

"As with most surgeries, we won't know until she wakes up. But her chances are pretty high. It's all up to her now."

He swallowed and nodded. "Can I see her?" he asked again.

The doctor nodded. "Of course." He led him down the corridor to one of the private rooms. Quietly, he opened the door and allowed Tatsuya to enter. "I'll be out here if you need anything," he told him before silently closing the door.

Tatsuya turned and almost let out a gasp. The room was quiet except for the beeping of the monitors surrounding the bed. He cautiously stepped closer. A chair had been placed next to the bed, ready for him and he sank into it, reaching out a grabbing hold of Yuuri's hand, carefully stroking the back of it with this thumb, mindful of the drip that was embedded in it. He was surprised at how cold her hand was. He looked up at her face. Her eyes were closed and if it wasn't for the ventilator tube in her mouth, he thought that it would have looked like she was sleeping. He noticed that her clothes had been changed into that of a plain hospital robe and her bed sheets were pulled up to her chest, which was rising and falling at a steady pace, help by the ventilator. She was also pale. Paler then he had ever seen her and he reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"You're going to be alright, Yuuri," he whispered. "You're going to be alright."

* * *

><p><strong>So, the events of this chapter weren't orginally going to happen, but, well, this is the way the story has gone. And there was finally a fight scene, though it was short. I just don't like writing them.<strong>

**Until next time...  
><strong>


	14. Quest 14

**Quest 14**

Yuuri blinked. The world slowly came into focus. She stared up at the bright white light above her before slowly standing up. She looked around. She was surrounded by white, but she couldn't make out any walls or where the room (if indeed she was in a room) ended or started. She felt strangely relaxed and a feeling of warmth spread throughout her body as if the white light was sending out calming waves.

As she looked around, wondering where she was, a sudden flash of memory coursed through her mind and she gasped, clutching her side, remembering how Serperant had shot her. But, instead of feeling the sticky dampness of blood or peeled and broken skin, she could feel the smoothness of silk and looked down to find that her jogging outfit and 'Tomorrow Research' jacket had been replaced by a flowing ivory white sleeveless dress which feel to her feet which were bare. She let out a soft gasp of surprise at the discovery. There was no blood. No evidence that she had been shot. She looked around again. She was alone.

"Tatsuya?" she called, her eyes wide. "Ayase? Domon? Sion? Anyone?"

There was no answer and her heart began to beat wildly in panic. Where was everyone? Where was she?

"Tatsuya?" she called again. She looked down at her wrist, but her Chrono Changer had disappeared. She had no way of contacting anyone. She was all alone.

She took a couple of tentative steps forward and was surprised to feel soft sand beneath her feet. She looked down at the pure white sand as the sound of waves gently lapping the shore could be heard and for a fleeting moment, she thought that she was back on the beach, but there was no Time ship. No cliffs. No Timerangers or Gaorangers. Just the sand beneath her feet and the waves in the distance. Her heart beat furiously in her chest as she continued to look around, trying to find something, anything, that would tell her where she was and what was going on.

Her eyes suddenly caught the grey outline of an approaching figure. "Who's there?"

The figure didn't respond. Instead, it continued moving forwards, towards her, its outline getting bigger and she resisted the urge to take a step back and run from the approaching figure, but she had to know what was going on and she hoped it would give her some answers.

The figure continued walking towards her as she remained rooted to spot, her body tense in anticipation and she let out an audible gasp as the outline became more focused, forming into that of a man. A man she recognised.

"T-Takizawa?" She stumbled back a couple of paces, unable to hide her shock at seeing the fallen Time Fire again. She stared at him, stunned; her eyes wide and her mouth open slightly in amazement.

"Hello, Yuuri," Naoto replied, smiling sadly at her. He was dressed in a loose white shirt and trousers, his feet also bare.

"W-what are you doing here?" she stammered. "Where are we?"

"What no 'I missed you'?" he said, continuing to smile at her.

Yuuri shook her head. "I'm sorry," she apologised. "It's good to see you again. Really good." She approached him, somewhat cautiously, and wrapped her arms around him, relieved to find that he was corporeal. "I missed you, Takizawa," she said softly.

Naoto let out a small snort and she let go of him. "I hate to admit it," he said, "but I have actually missed you guys too." He paused. "And I think you know me well enough to call me Naoto now," he added.

Yuuri nodded and smiled at him. "But what are you doing here?" she asked seriously. "Where are we?"

He looked at her and she thought she could see a look of grief in his eyes once more.

"We're in the in-between," he told her sadly.

"The in-between?"

He nodded. "I'm here to act as your guide and to help you decide whether or not you're ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked, although she was beginning to understand where she was and what was going on, though she hoped that she was wrong.

"Ready to die," he replied and this time the sorrow was prominent and her heart faltered as she came to the realisation.

"Oh," she said softly, in a state of shock. "So I'm…" She couldn't bring herself to say the word.

"Not yet," Naoto told her. "You're hovering in between. I'm here to help you decide–"

"Whether or not I want to live or die," she finished for him.

He nodded his head sorrowfully. "Yes."

She blinked, letting out a sharp breath. She couldn't believe what was happening. She let out a staggered laugh of disbelief. "I have to decide whether or not I want to live," she said more to herself then to Naoto. She shook her head, unable to comprehend the realisation. She looked at Naoto. "How am I supposed to make a decision like that? I want to live. I have Tatsuya and Ayase, Sion, Domon waiting for me. I don't want to die."

Naoto nodded to her. "That's what I thought." He smiled at her.

"But…" She paused, lowering her head as another thought came to her. "But if I die… I'll see my parents again…" she trailed off, remembering how, despite the future having been changed due to Don Dolnero's death, ensuring that her family never died at the hands of Mad Blast, she had returned to the future to the memory of her parents, instead, being killed in a massacre. A massacre she and her younger sister Mei had survived. A crime no one had been held accountable for. Both times, she had not been able to know her parents, but, if she made the decision to die, then she would be with them again. It was something that she deeply wanted.

Naoto nodded again. "It's not such a simple decision to make."

Yuuri looked up at him. "What am I supposed to do?"

"That's a decision only you can make," he told her.

"I barely have any memories of my parents. Any true memories," she said. "I feel as if I barely knew them, but I still miss them. Is that strange?" Instead of waiting for a response, she continued, "But if I die, then I'll see them again, won't I?"

He nodded solemnly. "They are waiting for you," he informed her.

She paused. She so desperately wanted to see her parents again and she was severely tempted to agree to die just so she could be with them, but something held her back. "I want to see them again," she said, "but I don't think I can. I have Tatsuya, Sion, Ayase and Domon waiting for me and Mei, she's waiting for me to come home. I can't leave her. I can't leave them." She looked at Naoto in determination. "I have a job to finish. I have to arrest Serperant and take him back to the future and I have to find the people who murdered my parents."

The smile returned to Naoto's face. "That's what I expected from you," he told her. "You aren't the type of person to give up easily, not without a fight. Especially if there is something worth fighting for and if someone has to be brought to justice."

Yuuri turned and began to walk towards the sound of the waves and after a few paces, she felt the calm water ripple over her bare toes. "I have to know who is accountable for their deaths," she said, looking out at the vast whiteness and the crystal water. "Not just for my parents, but for everyone who died that day. I need to know why, why they died and who did it." Though she spoke with passion and determination, it didn't prevent a teardrop from falling as she thought about her parents.

Naoto silently watched her. He knew that she shouldn't be there. It wasn't her time, not yet. But fate had dealt its hand, as it had done for him, and she was teetering between life and death. While his, like hers, had been quick and unexpected, he had been ready. He had nothing left, only his role as Time Fire and he had accepted that it was his time to die. But it was different for Yuuri. She had people waiting for her. She had a job to do.

"Did it hurt?" Yuuri's quiet voice caught through his thoughts and he slowly walked across the sand to stand by her side, feeling the calm of the sea water against his feet.

"Did what hurt?" he asked, looking at her questioningly, although he already knew what she was going to say.

"Did it hurt when you died?" She turned to face him and she bit her lower lip, waiting for him reply. She knew it wasn't a question she should ask, but she needed to know.

Naoto let out a heavy sigh and looked out at the white horizon. "No," he told her, not put off by her question. "It was more like falling asleep." He paused. "The whole getting shot in the back and falling from a height hurt like hell, but the actual act of dying…" He shook his head. "No, it didn't hurt."

Yuuri let out a soft sigh of relief. "So, I'm over the worst of it then," she said. "I've already had the pain of being shot."

Naoto nodded as he faced her. "But it isn't necessarily the end of the pain. When you wake up, your body will be recovering. You had an intensive operation on your lung and when you wake up, you'll have a lot of healing to do."

"But if I die, there won't be any pain."

He shook his head. "Not for you, but for the people you leave behind," he informed her. "It'll be them that suffer the pain."

She let out another sigh and looked back at the horizon. "I have to go back, don't I?" she said after a few minutes of silence.

"It is your choice," Naoto reminded her. "I'm just here to act as your guide. I can't tell you what to do."

"I know." She nodded. "But I stay, if I die, then the people that I care about will suffer and I don't want that. I would rather live with the pain of being alive then let them hurt and suffer because of me."

"That's what I thought," Naoto replied, giving her a small smile. "It isn't your time yet and I was going to do whatever it took to convince you to live." He shrugged his shoulders in feint annoyance. "But you saved me the trouble."

Yuuri smiled back at him. "Sorry."

"I had a whole speech planned, but it looks like it's not needed," he continued, though there was clearly amusement in his voice.

"So, how do I get back?" she asked him.

Naoto's smile faded, turning into a sad look. "Before I send you back, there's something you need to know," he told her.

Yuuri tilted her head in confusion. "About what?"

"It's about Serperant. There's something you need to know."

Yuuri continued to wear a look of puzzlement. "What is it?" she asked again.

"It also involves your parents."

"My parents?" Yuuri was surprised at this. Serperant was connected to her parents? How?

Naoto nodded. "You probably don't remember, but while your father was in the Mafia division of the police, your mother was a scientist. A brilliant scientist."

"I remember that," she replied, nodding, her eyebrows knitted in confusion, still trying to wonder how her family and Serperant were connected.

"But, what you probably don't know is that Serperant was your mother's bodyguard."

"What?" Yuuri couldn't hide her surprise. She had never expected that. A vicious, lethal and wanted criminal had been her mother's bodyguard?

"Your mother was working in nanotechnology. Her work was very sort after since it was widely believed that she had found a way in which to sustain human life through the use of nanotechnology. Serperant was hired to protect her and her family from any danger since people wanted to steal her research and use it."

Yuuri shook her head. "I don't understand. Serperant was my mother's bodyguard?" She held her hands to her head, trying to shake the thought away. "What happened? Did he kill her? Did he kill my father too?"

"No."

Yuuri froze and lowered her hands, her eyes wide. "What?"

"Serperant was highly devoted to your mother," Naoto told her. "He was already a skilled marksman and swordsman. He used these skills to protect your family. It wasn't until after the massacre that killed your parents that he began working for Don Dolnero."

"So what happened? Who killed my parents?"

"On the day of your parents' death, a convention was being held. You and your sister were there to see your mother's experiment with nanotechnology. A bomb had been planted which detonated, killing many of the conventioneers and an assassin killed your parents."

Yuuri stumbled back her feet splashing into the sea water, the hem of her dress getting wet, as a flash of memory shot through her mind.

_She was in a dark room, a red hue illuminating the bodies that lay scattered around her, most of them not moving. There were groans and cries of pain all around her. She felt a stabbing pain in her arm and on her forehead. She raised a hand to her forehead and felt the sticky wetness of blood. She let out a gasp as she moved her injured arm, deeming that it was broken. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she felt an incredible sense of panic and she knew that she was terrified and confused about what was happening._

"_Tou-san! Kaa-san!" she heard her childish voice call out as she looked around. She heard a young girl crying. "Mei!" she cried as she turned to see her younger sister, a trickle of blood flowing down the side of the child's face. "Mei!" She ran over to her sister, pulling her into a protective hug, being mindful of her injured arm._

"_Kaa-san… Tou-san…" Mei sobbed into Yuuri's arms._

"_It's alright Mei," Yuuri hushed her sister. "They're here somewhere."_

"_W-where's Serperant-kun? What's going on?"_

"_I don't know," she whispered in response, feeling her sister's body tremble against her own as she felt another wetness on her face and realised that she was crying. Where were her parents? What had happened to them? Where was Serperant? What was going on? She held her sister tighter. "Kaa-san! Tou-san!" she screamed as the room darkened._

"Are you alright?" Naoto's voice pulled her back to reality and she blinked a few times, steadying herself.

"I remember," she whispered. Her tongue felt dry and heavy in her mouth as she listened to and relived the events of her parent's deaths. "I remember being with Mei." She shook her head. "I don't think I've ever been that scared in my entire life."

Naoto reached out and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her forward and she realised how far she had stumbled into the sea. The water had reached the top of her calves, the bottom of her dress soaked, but as she stepped onto dry land, her dress instantly dried. As soon as her feet touched the soft sand, she felt her legs give way and she collapsed onto the sand, her body shaking.

Naoto crouched down next to her, concerned. "You're in shock," he told her, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Even though we're in the in-between, you memory has still has an impact on your body."

Yuuri shook her head determinedly, trying to calm her body. "I'm alright," she said after a few moments and she looked up at him. "I'm alright."

Naoto watched her carefully. "Are you sure"

Yuuri nodded, feeling her body slowly calm as she pushed the memory away. "Where was Serperant?" she asked, wanting answers about what had happened.

"Your mother ordered him to protect you and your sister when the bomb detonated, but he was knocked out as he shielded the two of you from the blast. When he came to, he found you and your sister standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by dead and dying."

She swallowed thickly. "H-how did he become a member of the Londarz family then?"

"Don Dolnero had heard of his excellent skills and convinced him that he would help him to find and kill those responsible."

Yuuri let out a snort. "Dolnero is a liar," she spat.

"But Serperant was so caught up in the aftermath of your mother's death that he believed him and agreed. Don Dolnero, however, began to train him up as an assassin under the pretence that he was being trained to kill your parents' killers. Instead, he used Serperant to take out his own enemies."

"Didn't Serperant realise what was going on? That he was being tricked?"

"He did, but Don Dolnero punished him by having his eyes removed. He then wiped away all memories of Serperant's life before he joined the Londarz family and continued to train him as the ultimate killer and assassin."

"I don't believe it." Yuuri shook her head again in disbelief, trying to take it all in. She couldn't believe that the Londarz family member she was trying to arrest had been her mother's protector. She looked up at Naoto. "While did you tell me this?"

"I thought you had a right to know," Naoto replied matter-of-factly. "It isn't Serperant's fault that he became what he is."

"He's still a criminal. He killed innocent people on Dolnero's orders. He failed to save my parents. He shot me. I can't forgive him. Despite what you've told me, I can't. He has to be arrested for the crimes he is accountable for." She studied him for a moment as he nodded in understanding, though she sensed that he wasn't impressed with her response. "What happened to you?" she asked, frowning. "You're not acting like the Naoto I remember."

"I died, remember," he said to her. "That changes a person. While I was – and still am – in agreement with arresting all criminals, Serperant isn't necessarily to blame for what's happening. He did his job. He protected you and your sister. He isn't to blame."

"No, Dolnero is, but he's dead," she almost snapped in response.

"This all happened before Don Dolnero recruited Serperant," Naoto countered. "Your parents' deaths weren't his doing either."

"Then who is responsible? I changed the future and was told that my parents were alive, but after we came back permanently, I found that they had actually died years ago - again. I never got to have real memories of them. I never got to live a second life with my parents – or Mei really. I've never known my family, not properly. If Serperant isn't to blame because he protected me and Mei instead of my parents, then who is?"

"I can't tell you," Naoto replied sternly. "But you have to understand there is something bigger out there. Something more important than just arresting Serperant. There's a reason for all of this. Someone deliberately sent Serperant back to the past and you have to find out why and stop them."

"If Serperant was part of the Londarz family, then obviously he was sent back to help Dolnero. We even found evidence suggesting this back in the future," Yuuri countered.

Naoto shook his head. "You need to listen to me Yuuri. There is someone in the future who put these plans into motion and who is planning something much bigger then you or I can ever imagine."

Yuuri frowned at him. "If that's the case, then why can't you tell me?" she asked, though she knew that he would never tell her.

"You know why. It's part of the future." Naoto put his hand on her shoulder. "You have to understand Yuuri. You and the other Sentai team have to work together in this. It is imperative. You can't do this without them."

"Tetomu said it and now you're saying it," Yuuri said. "About the importance of working with the Gaorangers," she added on seeing a slight look of confusion on Naoto's face. "Tetomu said that they had been having shared dreams through their Power Animals and you're… wherever you are," she continued, throwing her arms around her to emphasis the place they currently were. "Why is it so important? What is it that you know?"

"You know I can't tell you that," he repeated. "The dreams brought on by the Power Animals are their way of forewarning what will happen. What was in those dreams is what shall happen in one way or another."

"Can't you tell me anything?"

"Find Serperant and Lila. They are with the Orgs. Lila will be able to tell you what you need to know."

Yuuri let out a snort. "Lila won't tell us anything."

Naoto shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Find them and persuade Lila. She will help you."

A soft breeze made Yuuri shiver slightly. She was surprised that she could actually feel the cold, considering she was currently between life and death.

Naoto noticed her shiver. "It's nearly time," he told her.

Yuuri looked up at him. "Time for what?"

"For you to go back. They're calling for you. We don't have long."

"Don't have long for what? Naoto, what's going on?"

"Before you go, there's one last thing I can do for you." He turned and began walking across the sand. Yuuri watched him. A look of puzzlement on her face. He turned back. "Come with me."

She quickly caught up with him, leaving the damp sand and soothing water behind. "Where are we going?"

Naoto give her a small, knowing smile. "You'll see," he told her and continued walking.

They walked around across the crystal sand, the only sound being their footsteps and gentle splashing of the sea against itself. It wasn't long before a mirror appeared in the distance. Yuuri stared at curiously as she walked, wondering if this was what Naoto was going to show, and, more importantly, why.

As they reached the mirror, Naoto stood to one side and gestured to her to stand directly in front of it. She stared at him in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked him.

He gave her another knowing smile. "You'll see," he told her.

She frowned and faced the reflection of herself. She admired herself for a brief moment. In all honesty, she didn't think she had ever looked as beautiful as she did at that very moment, dressed in the simple white dress. She looked so natural and beautiful that it startled her and she wondered if it was death that had made her look like this. As she thought this, her reflection faded and two figures took its place, standing against a backdrop of pure, crystal white sand, the same beach that she was currently standing on.

"Tou-san… Kaa-san…" She gasped as her eyes resting on the images of her parents standing before her; the parents she had been forced to barely know, whose lives had twice been forcefully and brutally taken away from her.

"Yuuri," her mother said, her voice soft. She was dressed in a similar white dress to Yuuri, but hers had long flowing sleeves and her hair cascaded down her back in loose waves.

"We're so very proud of you, Yuuri," her father, who dressed identically to Naoto, told her, nodding his head.

Yuuri blinked and her eyes flickered over to Naoto, who was smiling happily at her. She had never expected him to have done this for her. She eyes went back to her parents. "Kaa-san, Tou-san." Her tongue felt heavy again and she could barely get her words out. She had longed for so long to be with her parents again, but now that she was, she had no idea what to say to them. Her eyes instantly brimmed with tears. Both of her parents smiled at her.

"We're so proud of you," her father said again, "of everything you've done. You followed in my footsteps and have done more and saved more lives than I could have ever have imagined."

Her mother nodded in agreement. "Even though we're not with you, we still love you and your sister and we are always watching over you."

"Why?" Yuuri cried softly. "Why did you have to die both times? I changed the future, but you still died." She shook her head as the tears streamed down her face. "Why?" She closed her eyes.

"We just weren't destined to live out our lives," her mother said.

Yuuri opened her eyes as she felt something solid against her cheek, as if a hand were caressing her cheek and she thought for a moment that it was Naoto comforting her until she looked up to see her parents standing solidly before her. She placed a trembling hand over her mothers and leant into her hand. "I miss you so much," she whispered.

"We miss you too, Yuuri," her father replied. "We wish so badly that we could still be with you and your sister."

She nodded against her mother's touch and she felt the other hand also cup her face as she felt the hands of her father rest on her head, soothing running down the back of her head repeatedly.

"You've been so brave, Yuuri," her mother said. "You just need to be brave for a little bit longer and then everything will be alright."

Yuuri raised her watery eyes, catching her mother's own shining ones. "I don't understand," she whispered.

"You will do your duty," her father said. "You will bring our killers to justice."

"How do you know?" She turned to face him, her mother's hands slipping from their resting place. "Who killed you?"

Her father gave her a small sad smile. "We can't tell you," he told her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "But you will find them. With the help of the other Timerangers and the Gaorangers, you _will_ find them."

"We have faith in you, Yuuri," her mother added. "We know that you can do this."

Yuuri nodded. "I will," she said determinedly. "I will."

A soft, passionate call of 'Yuuri' echoed all around them and all four of them lifted their heads up at the pearly sky.

"Tatsuya…" Yuuri whispered recognising the voice.

"They're calling for you," her father said and she lowered her head to look at him. "He's waiting for you."

She almost blushed at the realisation of what her father's words implied: that they knew about her relationship with Tatsuya.

"You have so much love in your heart. Don't be afraid to let him in," her mother added. "Go back to them, to him."

"I know. I will," she replied, her voice quiet, as if she were being reprimanded, though she knew her parents were telling her what she already knew, but was still too scared to admit. She had to be more open. Her parents were right. She had been so closed off and distant, refusing to let people in, but she had begun to do the opposite with Tatsuya. Slowly she had been opening her heart to him and now, with her parent's words, she would do so wholeheartedly and completely and she wouldn't look back.

"You're ready, Yuuri," her father said. "We know that you can this."

"Tou-san… Kaa-san…"

Both of her parents smiled sadly at her and Naoto cleared his throat. They turned to look at him and he nodded his head at them. The two deceased adults appeared to know what Naoto was referring to as they turned back to their eldest daughter.

"We have to go now," her mother said, cupping her cheek once more.

"What? No! You can't!" Yuuri's eyes brimmed with tears again. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to let them go again yet. "Can't you stay just a little bit longer?"

Her father shook his head. "I'm sorry," he told her as he pressed his lips against her forehead. "We love you, Yuuri. Never forget that."

"I won't," she whispered as his lips left her skin and were replaced by her mothers. "I promise that I'll find who killed you."

"We know you will," her mother said, pulling her daughter into her arms. "We love you, Yuuri. You and Mei. So much."

She nodded against her mother's shoulder. "I'll never forget you," she said. "I'll never stop loving you."

Her mother let her go and she and her husband walked back towards the mirror. "We'll always protect you," she called out as the two of them faded in a white mist and Yuuri's reflection replaced them in the mirror.

"Kaa-san! Tou-san!" Yuuri cried as the mirror, too, faded.

Naoto approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?"

Yuuri wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Lila will tell me what I need to know?" she reiterated, her determination replacing her crumbling emotions at seeing her parents.

Naoto nodded in response. "Yes."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then I'm ready. Send me back."

Naoto nodded and waved one of his arms in an arch. A mirror, identical to one her parents had appeared in sparkled into being and the two walked up to it.

Yuuri paused. She turned to Naoto. "I'm sorry," she said to him.

He looked down at her. "For what?" he asked, confused.

"I never got to say goodbye to you. None of us did. We were just suddenly thrown back to the future and we never got a chance to tell you. By the time we got back you had already… and we weren't there…" She hung her head.

Naoto put his hand on her shoulder again. "I wasn't alone," he told her. "Tatsuya was with me."

She sniffed quietly as she lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. "I know," she replied. "But we weren't there."

Naoto then also paused as if unsure as to what to do, but then he pulled her by the shoulder, into his arms. "Then say it now."

She nodded against his chest. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

He nodded as he gently pushed her away. "Take care of Tatsuya for me," he told her as he gave her another knowing smile.

"I will." Her cheeks reddened slightly as she took a couple of steps back towards the mirror. "Goodbye, Naoto," she said softly, a small smile on her face as she stepped into the mirror and disappeared into the white mist.

"Goodbye, Yuuri," Naoto quietly replied as he too disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>I managed to bring Naoto back, but whether or not he appears again remains to be seen. And there was a bit of revelation with regards to Serperant and Yuuri in this chapter too, since I felt that that part of the story needed to get a move on.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
><strong>


	15. Quest 15

**Quest 15**

"I thought I'd find you here."

The voice of Honami stirred Tatsuya from his thoughts as he lifted his head to face his friend. She had a sad expression on her face and upon seeing that she had his attention, she let out a soft sigh and walked over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"How is she?"

Tatsuya looked at Yuuri's sleeping form before looking back at Honami. "No change," he told her.

Honami nodded sympathetically. "She'll pull through," she said reassuringly.

"I hope so." He looked over at the machines connected to Yuuri's body. Honami followed his gaze.

"All the machines make her look worse then she actually is. They're just a precaution, to allow her body time to heal and recover. She'll be awake in no time, bossing us all about." She gave him a small.

Tatsuya let out a low laugh, knowing that was true, remembering all the times Yuuri had pushed her injuries to one side to ensure she, and they, got the job done. She was a strong individual. He knew that she was going to pull though. She had to. He needed her. The other Timerangers needed her and he honestly didn't know what he was going to do if he lost her, but then he remembered that once Serperant was arrested, she would be going back to the future and he didn't know how he was going to cope when that happened.

"Have you gotten any rest?" Honami asked him, tearing him away from his thoughts again.

He shook his head. "I want to be here in case anything happens."

She nodded sympathetically again. "Of course, but you do need some rest." She squeezed his shoulder gently. "You should try and sleep."

He shook his head again. "I can't."

"You be of any use to her, or to the others, if you're exhausted. Go and get some rest. I'll watch her for a little bit."

Tatsuya felt torn. He really did want to go and sleep, but he wanted to be by her side in case she woke up. He paused.

Honami noticed his hesitation. "I'll call you the second anything happens," she told him, correctly reading his thoughts. "If you only get an hours sleep, it's better than nothing."

Tatsuya faltered again, still debating but eventually his exhaustion led to him agreeing to leave Yuuri under Honami's watch. "The second anything happens," he reminded her.

She smiled at him and nodded. "The others are still in the waiting room," she told him, resting her hand on his arm as he stood up. "I'm sure they're desperate for news."

"They've been here the entire time?"

She nodded again. "Yes. They wouldn't leave. They did try to come in before I did, but they thought you were asleep and didn't want to disturb you."

"But you did?" He half laughed at her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," she informed him. "If you had been asleep then I would have left you." As she spoke, her hand moved from his hand and took his hands in between her own, holding them reassuringly. "Everything's going to be okay."

He nodded. "I know." He paused again. "Thank you, Honami," he added.

She dipped her head at him. "You're welcome," she replied, taking up his seat. "Now go and get some rest." She almost shooed him away and he let out another small laugh.

He turned and gently brushed a stray stand of her dark hair away from her face before her kissed Yuuri's forehead, resting his own against hers for a brief moment. "I'll be back soon," he whispered to her and Honami smiled softly at the gesture before he, almost reluctantly, walked towards the door. He cast one last glance at Yuuri's form and he swallowed heavily before leaving the room.

Instead of heading towards the waiting area, Tatsuya headed into the men's bathroom. He still wasn't ready for the bombardment of questions that were going to be thrown at him the instant he set foot inside. He almost staggered over to the sink, his hands tightly clasping the sides of the white ceramic bowl. He swallowed heavily again. Now that he was out of the room, the whole situation felt oddly dream like. He found it hard to believe that a couple of rooms away Yuuri, his comrade, his love was in a coma-like state and that she had been shot by the criminal they were trying to arrest. His hands felt slick and sweaty as he clasped the edge of the sink even tighter, his head lowered. He looked down at his hands and noticed the smudges of red against the cream white. His eyes narrowed as he lifted his hands. Both of them were still covered in blood. His eyes widened. Yuuri's blood. Clear evidence of everything that had transpired in the last few hours. He had been so caught up in his fear for her that he had completely forgotten how he had had his hands pressed against her wound; her blood had stained his hands.

He quickly turned on the tap, shoving his hands under the freezing cold water and scrubbed hard at his palms. He didn't want to remember what had happened. He had to get rid of the evidence of it. He didn't want to be reminded of what had happened to her. He scrubbed even harder, his fingers almost clawing at his palms as he tried to get all of the blood off. It felt like the blood was refusing to disappear, that his hands were permanently stained and he let out a loud cry of anguish, pushing himself away from the sink. He grabbed the metal trash can under the sink and hurled it at the mirror, letting out another cry as he did so. The mirror cracked, shards of glass falling into the sink and onto the floor. He staggered back, running his hands through his hair, shaking his head furiously. This couldn't be happening! None of it could be happening! This wasn't supposed to happen! She wasn't supposed to have been shot. She wasn't supposed to have gone into surgery, she wasn't supposed to be lying in a hospital bed and she definitely wasn't supposed to have been nearly dying. They were supposed to be outside, arresting Serperant and Lila.

Serperant…

The name made his blood boil. He slowly lowered his hands, breathing heavily as he stared at his reflection in the cracked mirror. He was going to kill him. He was going to kill him. He was going to kill him…

G|T

The waiting room was bathed in a harsh yellow light as the three remaining Timerangers waited for the slightest bit of news. They didn't know how long they had been waiting, but it felt like days, though they had seen the sun set as the bright, harsh lights illuminated the room, which in turn, were extinguished with the rising of the sun, which cast a bright light through the glass windows as it crossed the sky and was now beginning to set. The only news they had been given was that Yuuri was in the recovery room and that had been hours ago, before Honami had arrived and, consequently, snuck in to see her and Tatsuya. As with the time, they assumed that everything, to some degree, was alright since neither Tatsuya nor Honami had returned and they hadn't been given any more news.

Mirai squirmed in his father's grip. Domon jostled him, trying to get his to settle. He made soothing sounds which made Ayase snigger and Domon lifted his head, throwing Ayase a threatening look.

"Sorry," Ayase said, trying to hold back his laugh, raising his hands in defence, "but it's just funny to see you acting all caring."

"I'm a father now," Domon retorted. "I have to be caring."

Sion shook his head. "I still can't get used to the idea of you being a father," he said, smiling.

"Tell me about it," Domon muttered. He looked at his young son who was beginning to settle, a small smile on the child's face. "It's still hard to believe that he's mine." He shook his head. "I just never imagined being a father, what it would be like and even though I've only been his father for a couple of days… to know that I actually made him… it's such an incredible feeling."

Ayase shook his head, a smirk on his face. "Don't go getting all sentimental on us," he said. "We still need you to help us kick the Londarz family's asses."

Domon made a movement as if he were going to punch his fist into his other hand, but stopped when he remembered the sleeping baby in his arms. Instead, he settled for balling both of his hands into fists. The jerking motion, however, had jostled Mirai and the baby squirmed before settling down. Domon let out a heavy sigh. "This isn't right," he said, sadly. "Things aren't supposed to be like this."

Sion lowered his head, shaking it. He let out a noise that sounded like a strangled sob.

"We can't dwell on this," Ayase said to the two of them. "Yuuri's going to be fine." He stood up and walked into the centre of the room. "But she's going to have to recover and we have to be there to help her – and Tatsuya. This has hit him harder than us and we have to help them through this, alright."

"You're right." Sion got to his feet and stood next the blue Timeranger. "Yuuri-san's going to be fine. She's over the worst of it, right. Once she wakes up everything will be okay and we have to help her and Tatsuya-san get through this." His voice was clear with optimism. "But we have to keep positive. If we don't…"

"Everything could fall down," Ayase finished.

Domon also leapt to his feet, careful not to disturb Mirai again. "But we're not going to think like that, right? Happy thoughts. That's what they'd tell us."

"No they wouldn't," Ayase deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

Domon cleared his throat. "Okay, maybe they wouldn't, but they'd be telling us to get on with the job and that job is to kick those goddamn Londarz family's asses and maybe take those Orgs out with them."

Sion's face brightened. "Right," he said.

Domon cricked his neck. "Urgh," he moaned. "These hospital chairs are so uncomfortable. I fon't blame the Gaorangers for taking off."

"They didn't leave because of that," Ayase reminded him. "Kakeru said that there was something that they had to do and anyway, there wasn't really much point in them hanging around waiting."

Sion nodded. "Yeah, we said we'd call them once we heard anything."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the waiting room opened, surprising them. The three of the instantly tensed and turned towards the door, eager but fretful for the news that awaited them, but they were surprised to see Tatsuya standing in the doorway.

"Tatsuya-san!" Sion rushed over to him. "Are you alright? How's Yuuri-san?"

Domon elbowed the youngest Timeranger out of the way. "Give him so space," he chastised, frowning at him. He then turned to Tatsuya. "How is she?"

Tatsuya shrugged his shoulders wearily. "They say that she should be alright," he told them, sighing deeply.

"But what happened? All they would tell us is that she had some surgery," Ayase informed him.

Tatsuya nodded as he lowered himself into one of the uncomfortable grey arm chairs. "The bullet nicked her lung, so they had to repair it."

Sion let out a gasp and Ayase frowned at him.

"She's currently connected to a ventilator to help her breathe while her lung begins to heal," he continued as if he hadn't heard Sion, his head lowered, "but they can't really say anymore until she wakes up."

Ayase walked over to him and clasped his hand on his shoulder. Tatsuya looked up at him slightly and the Blue Timeranger gave him a soft smile. "You look awful," he said, noting his pale complexion and red rimmed eyes. "Why don't you get some rest?" He gently pushed him towards the chairs. "Sorry it's not a comfy bed, but it's the best we could do at short notice," he joked.

"That's what Honami told me to do," Tatsuya replied faintly as he sunk in the chair.

"Honami's watching over her then?" Domon asked.

He gave the tiniest of nods in response. "Where are the Gaorangers?" he asked quietly, noticing their absence.

"They've headed back to Gao's Rock," Sion replied. "We told them that we'd contact them when we knew anything."

He gave another small nod as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He felt unbelievably tired. He didn't think he had ever felt like it before. He felt so drained, both emotionally and physically. A few moments later, he was asleep.

Sion shook his head. "Poor Tatsuya-san," he said sympathetically. "This must be hard for him."

"Hard for him? It's hard for us too, remember," Domon reminded him. "I mean, it's Yuuri."

Ayase nodded. "But I think what Sion meant is that it's harder for him. First Takizawa and now Yuuri. Takizawa was his best friend and he and Yuuri are, well…" he shrugged his shoulders, "you know." He walked back across the room and sat down in his chair, letting out a heavy sigh. Domon and Sion copied him, sitting back down.

The waiting game began again.

G|T

The sun was slowly beginning to fade, casting a blood red hue against the blue sky as the Gaorangers walked down the street, away from the hospital, back in the direction of Gao's Rock.

"Do you think we should have stayed a bit longer?" Sae asked, biting her lower lip. "Maybe we should have waited until we heard something before leaving."

"Maybe," Kakeru replied, "but there wasn't anything we could do apart from wait. And anyway," he continued, "they need some space and we'd just be in the way. At least with us out here, we can be of more use."

"What do you mean?" Sotaro asked.

Kakeru stopped walking and turned around to face his team mates. "They need to focus on Yuuri. She's their priority at the moment," he told them. "So while they're looking after her, we can help find Serperant and the Orgs."

"That sounds like a plan." Gaku nodded in agreement, his arms folded against his chest. "Only problem is, we don't know where they are. Where are we supposed to start looking?" He directed his question at the other Gaorangers.

Sae shrugged her shoulders. "How about that Time Ship?" she suggested. "I mean, we know that's how Serperant got here. Maybe it'll have some answers…?" She trailed off, realising how pointless her suggestion sounded, since they had no idea how to access that type of information or even if it would be available.

Shirogane shook his head. "I highly doubt that there will be any information regarding the location of the Org's lair, if that is, indeed, where they are," he told her and she nodded in response, mentally kicking herself at the stupidity of her suggestion.

Kai clasped his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Don't worry about it," he said warmly. "You never know, there may be information regarding Serperant's whereabouts, but it would mean we'd have to search the ship's databases and we wouldn't be able to do that without the Timerangers' help and we're supposed to be keeping them out of this for now, right?" He looked over at Kakeru, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Thanks," Sae replied, looking at Kai, "that made me feel better."

Kai gave her a smile and a quick nod.

"So, where _do_ we start looking then?" Sotaro asked and everyone turned to look at Kakeru, who shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"I don't know," he admitted with a sigh. "Maybe we should just head back to Gao's Rock for now. Tetomu might be able to help us."

Gaku let out a tutting sound and rolled his eyes. "I thought that was where we were going anyway."

The others exchanged smiles of mirth with each other as Kakeru scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah," he said, "but then we all started talking about how we were going to find Serperant…"

Gaku rolled his eyes again at Kakeru's explanation. "And you call yourself our leader," he muttered, though they could hear amusement in his voice.

The Gaorangers continued their journey back to Gao's Rock, where they found Tetomu waiting anxiously for them. Her face was slightly pale and she looked like she hadn't rested for a while.

"Where have you guys been?" she asked them as soon as they set foot inside, her voice high with panic.

"We've been at the hospital," Kakeru replied, sitting down at the stone table.

"The hospital? Why?"

Gaku looked at her in puzzlement. "Yuuri got shot and we stayed to make sure she was okay," he told her. "Didn't Blue tell you any of this?"

"Blu – no. No one contacted me and for some reason I couldn't get through to you," She replied and everyone turned to look at Kai, who held up his hands in defence.

"Ah, sorry!" he quickly apologised, bowing. "I was going to, but then I saw a vending machine – what? I was hungry!" he added upon seeing the others give him scandalised looks.

Tetomu shook her head. "That doesn't matter now. But you said Yuuri got shot? How? By who?"

"Serperant shot her," Shirogane told her.

Sae nodded her head furiously in agreement. "It was pretty bad too. I think they said that she had had to have surgery."

Tetomu stared, her mouth open in surprise. "Oh my goodness. Is she okay?" she gasped.

"We think so. The only think they would tell us was that she was in recovery," Sotaro said solemnly. He looked back at the others. "Maybe we should have stayed longer."

"We've already had this discussion," Gaku retorted. "What would be the point in us staying at the hospital? Red's right, we'd be of more use tracking down Serperant."

Tetomu shook her head. "No, you did the right thing in returning." She pursed her lips together thoughtfully. "But the question is: where do we start looking?"

"That's what we've been asking ourselves," Kakeru replied with a heavy sigh, "and we have no idea. The only thing we could come up with is that they might be at the Org's base, but we don't know where that is."

Tetomu turned to him. "What do you mean 'them'? I thought Serperant wasn't with the Orgs anymore."

"So did we, but Tsue Tsue showed up and took him and the woman – Lila I think they said she was called – with her."

"There must be some reason Ura wants Serperant," Tetomu responded thoughtfully. "He obviously knows Serperant isn't an Org, but I highly doubt that he knows he's from the future since Serperant can't communicate. But he must know something, why else would he order Tsue Tsue to get him…" she trailed off, muttering to herself as the Gaorangers exchanged looks of confusion.

Gaku turned to the others as Tetomu continued to mumble to herself in the background. "Do you think she's right?" he asked them in a hushed whisper. "Do you really think there's another reason Ura wants Serperant apart from the whole 'destroying the world' thing?"

"I don't know," Kakeru replied. He turned to Shirogane. "What do you think, Silver?"

Shirogane watched Tetomu for a moment before replying. "If Tetomu believes then so do I. But as to what Ura's plan is, I don't know."

"But we have to find out what is as quickly as possible," Sotaro said.

"Of course we do," Gaku retorted. "Thank you for stating the obvious, Black."

"Yellow, now isn't the time for this," Sae said calmly, placing her hand in his arm. "We need to work together to find the Orgs and put a stop to this."

"Ah!" Tetomu cried, her hands on her head, almost pulling at her hair in frustration.

"Tetomu, what is it?" Kai asked.

"Ah! I don't know!" She lowered her hands and approached the holy shrine. "I need to converse with the Power Animals. Hopefully they'll be able to shine some light on the situation." She disappeared into the water without another word.

"Hey, wait!" Kai shouted running over to the shrine. "What are we supposed to do?" There was no reply to his question as the water remained clear and smooth.

"Dammit!" Gaku snapped.

Kakeru stood up and walked across the room towards the hallway that led to the sleeping caverns. "I guess there's nothing we can do," he said. "I think we should all get some rest and try and think about where Serperant is when we're more awake."

"Seconded." Sotaro raised his hand in agreement. He let out a yawn as he walked past Kakeru. "Even though we spent a day sitting in a hospital, it does take a lot out of you," he muttered as he disappeared down the hallway.

Gaku shook his head. "How can we sleep at a time like this?" he moaned, but his body betrayed his words by making him yawn deeply.

Sae let out a giggle. "You're right, but Red's right as well. We don't have to sleep, but we don, at least, need to rest," she told him as she disappeared down the hallway that led to her own chamber.

Gaku was about to respond when he realised that he was the only one left in the room. He rolled his eyes before following suite and going to get some rest.

G|T

The room was quiet except for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and the small sounds of puffed air from the ventilator. Honami was sat back in her chair, her eyes focused on Yuuri as she bit her lip nervously, something she had been doing for the past hour, prior to which, she had been talking out loud to her friend, telling her about her life over the past year, how she was glad that they had returned to the present and her fears about Mirai growing up without his father, until she stopped when she realised that a nurse had been listening from the doorway. The nurse had smiled at her and told her it was a natural thing to do with comatose patients, since it was widely believed that they could still hear people talking to them, but Honami had stopped talking to Yuuri out of embarrassment that she had been heard and was worried that someone would hear her talking and realise that Yuuri was a Timeranger and from the future.

Honami let out a heavy sigh and looked around the room. The blinds had been closed, signalling that it was night time and the clock on the opposite wall read 3.29. She stood up and stretched. Though she wanted to stay longer, she needed to check on Mirai. Though she trusted him with Domon, she had never been separated from him for so long. She also thought that Tatsuya would want to be back and sat with Yuuri. She bent down and clasped Yuuri's hand. "I'll be back," she whispered, before pressing her lips to Yuuri's forehead. She hated seeing her friend like this and as she silently crept towards the door. Before she opened it, she cast one last look at Yuuri. "We're all waiting for you," she said softly before opening it and jumping in surprise. In front of her were Domon, Sion and Ayase. "What are you doing here?" she gasped.

"We wanted to see her," Sion replied. "There wasn't anyone about…"

Honami half frowned at them, but wasn't surprised by their actions. "You took your time getting here," she said to them. She turned to Domon who still had Mirai in his arms. "I'll take him."

Domon nodded and handed his son over to his mother. "How's she doing?"

She shook her head sadly. "No change." She swallowed. "Where's Tatsuya?"

"Still asleep in the waiting room," Ayase told her. "We would have woken him, but he seriously needs a break."

Honami nodded in agreement and stood to one side. "I'll leave you to it," she said to them. "I'll be in the waiting room if you need anything."

The three Timerangers nodded to her as she left them. One by one, they entered the room and gathered around the bed. Sion let out an involuntary shiver and Domon clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"It's really scary," Sion whispered, "seeing Yuuri-san like this. It isn't right."

"No, it's not," Domon replied, his voice bitter. "But that's why we're going to make Serperant pay for this."

Ayase looked up at them and shook his head. "This shouldn't be happening."

"What are we going to do if… you know… she…" Sion trailed off, tears welling in his eyes.

"Don't think like that," Domon responded, harsher then he intended and Sion flinched. "Sorry, but you can't think like that."

"I know. I'm sorry," Sion apologised, his head bowed. "But seeing Yuuri-san like this, it just makes this whole situation real."

"I know what you mean," Ayase replied. "Sitting out in that waiting room, it's like one big dream, but actually standing here…"

The three Timerangers stood in the room with their fallen comrade for a few more minutes before Sion was unable to take it anymore and burst into tears. They decided then that it would be best to leave her and ask Honami to go back in until Tatsuya awoke. Before they left, each of them pressed their lips to her forehead, silently praying that she would wake up and telling her that they missed her. They then left the room, Sion still crying while both Ayase and Domon had tears in their eyes.

A few short moments after the trio had left, the beeping of the heart monitor increased and Yuuri's hand twitched, her fingers moving slightly as her eyes rolled behind her eyelids and slowly flickered open.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, I'm starting to get pretty rubbish with my updating again, though I have only got myself to blame this time since I've been preoccupied in watching Megaranger. I found the episodes online and its one of my favourite series (even though most of it isn't subbed), so I'm glad I've found the entire series again.<strong>

**But, I digress. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
><strong>


	16. Quest 16

**Quest 16**

The world was a mass of hazy bright white lights. There was no sound, except for a steady beeping sound that was becoming increasingly erratic. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. She had no idea where she was. All she knew was that she lying on her back, on something hard. She could feel a numb pain on the right side of her body. She tried to breathe, to make a sound, but there was something lodged down her throat, blocking her windpipe, making her gag as she tried to breathe.

The world above her slowly came into focus, the white lights separating, some forming into the yellow ceiling lights while the others formed ivory ceiling tiles, some tainted a dull yellow colour. Her heart beat wilder then before as panic and fear began to consume her. She tried to breathe, but couldn't and her eyes widened in terror. She raised her hand, which felt heavier than she could have ever imagined, and placed it on the item coming out of her mouth. It was a tube. She continued to try and breathe, but the device wasn't letting her and she gagged as she struggled to get air into her lungs. She had to get rid of the tube. She didn't care what would happen or how much it would hurt, all she knew was that she had to remove it otherwise she would suffocate.

Her hand shook as she grabbed hold of the tube and she closed her eyes before pulling it as hard as she could, her hand trembling. She felt it slide along her trachea and she had managed to pull most of it out before she had to move her hand back down near her mouth to remove the rest of it. She gagged heavily and violently coughed as the last of the tube came out and in the background, she could hear an erratic beeping sound, beeping in time with her crazy heartbeat that was beating painful against her chest. Her throat felt sore and painfully dry as she swallowed and breathed heavily. She could feel a metallic taste in her mouth.

Slowly, she sat up and looked around, her eyes flickering nervously. Her head felt groggy and it throbbed painfully. The pain in her side intensified, but she ignored it. She needed to know where she was. She was surrounded by various machines, some of which were connected to her. She began to panic again. Where was she? She didn't recognise her surroundings. All she could see were the plain white walls of the room, the machines surrounding her hard metallic bed and the closed wooden door. Faded curtains covered what she assumed was the window. There was nothing telling her where she was.

She wasn't supposed to be here. She had to get out. She had to find the others. She looked down and saw that she was dressed in a cream white gown, and she could see that were wires connected to her body by pads and a thin tube had been burrowed in the back of her hand. She looked and saw that it was connected to a clear bag above her which was filled with a clear liquid. She then noticed that her Chrono Changer had gone. She had no way of contacting anyone. She was alone. Again. Her body shuddered. She had to get out. Without another thought, she yanked the wires off of her chest, ignoring the machine as it let out a high pitched noise and proceeded to pull the tube out of her hand, wincing at the momentary pain and ignoring the thin trickle of blood that emerged following its removal.

She was about to force herself off of the bed, her shaking hands clasping the cold metal sides, when the door opened, startling her and a handful of people rushed into the room and over to her.

"Miss!" A woman grabbed her wrists, preventing her from rising.

"No!" she shouted, her voice coming out in a rasp. She tried to pull herself free.

"Miss, you need to calm down," the woman told her, her voice calm.

"No!" she cried again. "Let me go!" She began to kick her legs, but the woman didn't let go and she felt someone grab her legs forcefully, but that made her more determined to be released.

"Miss, you need to calm down," another voice said, this time a man's and she presumed that he was stood to the side of her. "You'll pull your stitches out."

She ignored him and continued to flail.

"Doctor, we need to sedate her," she heard the person holding her legs call out as she continued to scream in resistance.

"Get Mr Asami in here!" the man shouted and she heard someone quickly leave the room.

She continued to scream, feeling her throat burn in pain, and fight wildly against the firm grips of the people holding her and she felt her foot connect with something hard and she heard a resounding 'ompf'. She let out a cry as she felt something sharp pierce her skin and her body immediately began to weaken. Her flailing ceased and as she sunk back against her bed, her heard someone call her name. Wearily, she turned her head with the little energy she had left, and could make out the blurred outline of a man, someone she recognised, but before she could think of who, her eyes flickered and rolled back as she sunk into blackness.

G|T

Shirogane walked through the entrance into Gao's Rock. It was the following morning and the sky was overcast with grey clouds. As he walked over to the table where the other Gaorangers were eating their breakfast, he flipped his G-Brace phone closed, reattaching it to the strap on his wrist. "Yuuri woke up this morning," he told them, noticing that they all wore identical looks of fatigue. Like him, he guessed that they had been awake most of the night, trying to work out where the Org base could be.

"What?! Is she alright?"

Shirogane pursed his lips. "Apparently she went crazy and started attacking the hospital staff. She had to be sedated," he informed them and Sae gasped in horror, dropping her spoon as her hands covering her mouth.

Kakeru, however, nodded in a knowing manner. "I've seen animals behave in a similar manner," he said matter-of-factly. "Sometimes when they awake in an unfamiliar environment they panic and lash out. It was probably the same for Yuuri."

Gaku frowned at him. "Did you just compare Yuuri to an animal?"

"Ahh! No!" Kakeru shook his hands in front of him, realising the implication of what he had just said. "I didn't mean it like that. I–"

"We know what you meant," Gaku interrupted, a small smirk of amusement on his face and Kakeru frowned at him, his face slowly reddening.

"I said that we'd go over and see her later," Shirogane said as if nothing had happened.

"Did you say anything to them about us trying to find out where Serperant is?" Sotaro asked, standing up.

Shirogane shook his head. "I thought it best not to say anything until we had some information."

Kakeru, still slightly red in the face, nodded in agreement as he went and stood next to the silver Gaoranger. "Anyone come up with anything?" His eyes scanned the room and he felt a wave of disappointment as they all shook their heads in response. He let out a heavy sigh. "Me neither."

A splashing sound could be heard coming from the shrine and they all looked over as a disgruntled Tetomu appeared. Instantly everyone was on their feet, their breakfasts forgotten, looking at her with eager eyes. Tetomu didn't notice them as she brushed her dress down. When she did look up, she let out a gasp of surprise and then frowned in confusion when she saw the six pairs of eyes looking expectantly at her.

"Well?" Kai asked her.

"Well what?"

"Did you find out anything from the Power Animals?" Gaku alliterated.

"Oh, that. Not much," she replied. "They don't seem to know what Ura could with Serperant, but they were able to give me an indication as to where they could be."

"And where's that?" Sotaro asked.

"Underground," she said. "As to how to access it," she sighed, "they don't know."

Gaku punched his fist into his hand. "There has to be a way," he said firmly and the others nodded in agreement.

"But what do we do now?" Sae asked. "We still don't know why Ura wants Serperant or where they are." She sunk back into her seat.

"There's nothing we can do. Not until they reappear," Kakeru said, sighing.

Gaku nodded. "But we don't know when that'll be."

The water in the shrine began to splash furiously. Tetomu turned and rushed over to it, peering down into the water, the Gaorangers right behind her. "It's the Orgs," she told them. "It looks like it's just the Orgettes. They are in the city, but Ura and Serperant might put in an appearance." She bit her lip. "There are a lot of them," she nervously added.

"How many?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell. There's too many." She looked round at them expectantly.

Kakeru nodded his head at her before addressing the others. "Let's go."

The other five Gaorangers nodded in agreement and rushed out of Gao's Rock.

"Be careful," Tetomu called after them before turning back to the water, frowning.

As the Gaorangers ran into the city, the sky above them continuing to darken, Gaku turned to Kakeru. "What about the Timerangers?" he shouted over. "Should we contact them?"

"No," came the reply. "We don't know if Serperant will be there. I don't want to pull them out of the hospital unless we have to."

"Are you sure?" Kai asked. "Tetomu said there were a lot."

Shirogane shook his head. "I agree with Red. If we need them we'll call them. They need us to take care of this."

Sae nodded in agreement and they continued to run through the streets of the city, in the opposite direction of the crowds of people who screaming and running away, some looking behind, making sure that whatever they were running from wasn't chasing them.

The Gaorangers came to stand still on the edge of a large circular area, standing atop some steps, looking down at the mass of Orgettes who were terrorising the citizens who stumbled into the area, not realising the danger that awaited them.

"There's so many of them," Sae gasped.

"They must have been sent out for a reason," Sotaro said, watching the countless Orgettes run around, holding their clubs ready.

"We can take them." Kakeru formed one of his hands into a fist.

Before the Orgettes realised that they were there, the six Gaorangers transformed and leapt down the steps, engaging them in a fight. The grey bodies of the Orgettes turned, their clubs raised above their heads, ready to strike at the Gaorangers.

A group of Orgettes ran towards Kakeru, their clubs still brandished above their heads. Kakeru summoned his Lion Fang and used it to block the attacks before he leapt into the air and used his weapon to strike at the Orgettes in turn, forcing them to either stumble back or fall and roll across the floor. He shouted "Lion Fang transform!" turning his weapon into the Lion Fang Buster and used it to fire shots at the approaching Org minions. He turned just as an Orgette swung its club, hitting him across his chest. He fell back before kicking the Orgette in its chest and firing at it. But, every time he struck one down, there was another to replace it. He looked around him and saw that his comrades were having the same trouble. He watched as another stream of Orgettes ran towards Gaku, who had his Eagle Sword ready, before he ducked down to avoid an attack.

Rather than wait for the Orgettes to come to him, the yellow Gaoranger ran towards his prey, running between them and striking at each one in turn across their chests. He turned and saw that another mass was running towards him. He leapt into the air and brandished his wings, allowing him to soar through the air and once again he used his Eagle Sword to strike at his opponents. He did a forward roll as he landed before jumping to his feet and continuing his fight against the Orgettes.

Sae, meanwhile, jumped onto the back of an unsuspecting Orgette and used her claws to scratch at his face, making him drop his club. The Orgette grabbed his face in pain, the red lines clearly visible, etched across his face, before she kicked him away from her, somersaulting through the air as she did so, striking him on the head with her Tiger Baton. She landed on her feet and smacked another Orgette across the back of his head. She let out a cry of pain as another of the grey Org minions struck her across her back, surprising her. She tyrned, her claws ready once more. "That hurt!" she shouted before slashing at the Orgette. Claws still bared, she then ran across the ground, using her feet and hands before jumping into the air and onto the back of another Orgette, clawing at his face. She rolled off of him as he fell, before leaping onto another.

Kai and Sotaro had joined forces and were working together to take care of the minions that had surrounded them. GaoBlack held his comrade by his legs and used his strength to swing him around. The Surging Shark had his Shark Cutters in his hands, ready for use and as soon as Sotaro let go of him, he flew through the air, in a circular motion and used his Shark Cutters to strike at any enemy in his way, while Sotaro quickly brandished his Bison Axe and struck at the remaining Orgettes before catching GaoBlue as he came back round.

Kai shook his head. "Dude," he said, trying to regain his balance, "that made me dizzy."

Sotaro chuckled and clasped his friend's shoulder, causing the younger Gaoranger lurch forward. "Sorry," he apologised, offering him a hand to help steady him again.

Kai shot him a look from behind his helmet. "Don't worry about it," he said, taking the offered hand and Sotaro gave him a quick nod and the two leapt into the fray once more.

"Sniper mode!" Shirogane yelled as he forward rolled across the hard surface, landing on one knee. He positioned his Gao Hustler Rod and quickly fired at the Orgettes racing towards him, hitting each one directly. He then leapt to his feet as he saw more of the Org minions approaching. "Sabre mode!" His Gao Hustler Rod lengthened into a sword and he ran against the horde of approaching Orgettes, slicing from side to side at them as he ran through them. He turned around and watched them fall to floor before running over to the other Gaorangers, who, having defeated their own hordes of Orgettes, had amassed together, standing before another onslaught of minions.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Gaku panted.

"Where do they keep coming from?!" Kai cried.

Kakeru shook his head, his frustration rising. The entire group were exhausted, from the constant onslaught and he had had enough. He turned to them, holding his Lion Fang ready. "Let's do this."

They nodded in unison, joining their weapons to form the Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken. In one large, diagonal arch movement and a shout of "Evil, Disperse!" the remaining Orgettes were destroyed.

"Is that it?" Sae asked, looking around her.

Shirogane shook his head. "Why send out a mass of Orgettes like that?" he wondered.

"I agree," Kakeru said. "There has to be more to this."

"You don't think they were trying to lure us out, do you?" Kai asked.

"Why would they do that?" Gaku replied, turning to him. "All they've done is attack us aimlessly. They haven't really planned anything, why start now?"

"To take advantage?" Kai shrugged his shoulders and the others tilted their heads at him, showing their confusion at what he said. "Every time we've fought with them we've had the Timerangers with us and at the moment they're out of the picture, maybe Ura's decided to take advantage of that."

Kakeru paused and thought for a moment. "Maybe," he said. "But we've being fighting the Orgs on our own for a long while now."

Kai nodded. "But that was before Serperant." He looked round at them. Serperant is different for anything we've faced before. He's cunning and calculating. Remember how he took on all of us and we barely made a dent."

"So, what you're saying is that now that they've banded together again, Ura decided to pit him against us."

Kai nodded again. "Maybe this was a way to test us. They obviously know Yuuri's out of action, but not the others. Maybe this was them finding out how many of us they were up against before sending Serperant out?"

"That's a lot of maybes," Gaku muttered under his breath.

Shirogane, however, nodded thoughtfully. "He has a point," he said. "They probably now know that they're only up against us. They might send Serperant up."

At this, they noticed how eerily quiet it had become and they all looked around, looking for any sign of Serperant. They spread out slightly, forming a close circle, taking in all angles.

Kakeru could feel his heart thundering wildly in his chest with anticipation. He, they, knew an attack was imminent. The only question was when and where. He suddenly heard a whizzing sound, the sound of something travelling through the air at a breath neck pace. He couldn't tell what direction it was coming from. He turned his head, but before he had a chance to shout a warning, Sotaro, who was standing next to him, let out a cry of pain and staggered back, falling onto the floor, clutching at his chest. Instantly everyone was facing the direction he had been standing in as Kai and Sae crouched down next to him, making sure that he was alright.

Sotaro groaned and tried to raise his head, but the pain was too intense and he let his head fall back, hitting the concrete beneath him. He continued to hold his hands to his chest, trying to overcome the pain.

"Was that Serperant?" Sae asked nervously, raising her head.

"It has to be," Kai replied, continuing to look at his friend, worry etched on his face. "Who else do we know that shoot like that?"

"The question is: where is he?" Kakeru said, his eyes scouring the buildings in front of him.

While Kai and Sae continued to make sure that Sotaro was alright, the other three pairs of eyes searched the buildings in front of them. There were three tall buildings, stretching up to the sky. Two were standing directly next to each other with the third separated from them by a wide gap which the Gaorangers had run through earlier.

The eyes of Shirogane caught a quick flash of light from the rooftop of the lone building as he turned his head. He quickly shot his head back so that he was looking directly at the top of the building.

"What is it, Silver?" Kakeru asked, seeing his movement.

"I'm not sure," came the reply. "I saw a light flash from up there." He subtly inclined his head towards the building he was looking at and Kakeru and Gaku followed his movement.

"Are you sure? I don't see anything," Gaku muttered.

Shirogane shook his head. "I definitely saw something." There was another flash of light. "There."

Groaning, Sotaro got to his feet, Sae and Kai supporting him. "Is it Serperant?"

"We're not sure," Gaku replied, his eyes not leaving the building.

"Are you alright, Black" Kakeru asked, also not taking his eyes away from the rooftop.

"I'll be alright," he replied with a grimace. He thumped his chest lightly with his fist. "I've had worse than this."

"Glad to hear it," the leader of the Gaorangers replied, "because if that is Serperant, then we're going to need you."

A black silhouette appeared on top of the building in the same place the light had been coming from. It jumped down and landed quietly at the base of the building and began to walk forward. Sotaro pushed Kai and Sae away from him, no longer wanting their support, knowing that they were going to need all six of them to fight whoever was approaching them. Slowly the figure came into focus and the Gaorangers cautiously took a step back. It was Serperant. The reptilian member of the Londarz family had his sword drawn and saw holding it loosely at his side. He let out a hiss, his tongue flickering.

Gaku's hands balled into fists. "Bastard," he muttered.

Sae swallowed. "How long do you think he's been up there?" The nervousness was evident in her voice.

"Probably the entire time," Kai replied, keeping his eyes focused on the approaching criminal.

Kakeru pumped his hand into a fist. He wasn't going to let fear get in the way of what had to be done. "I'm full of motivation!" He held out his Lion Fang ready and the other's copied his motion, holding out their own weapons ready. "Let's go!"

In unison, the six Gaorangers ran at Seperant, who calmly continued to walk towards them, his sword still hanging by his side. His tongue flickered again, tasting the air.

G|T

Yuuri's eyes rolled under her eyelids before her eyes slowly flickered open, revealing the yellowing white tiles of the ceiling above her. Her eyes flitted around, trying to take in her surroundings, but all she could see was the ceiling. She could faintly hear voices, the sounds of whispers coming from around her and sensed that she wasn't alone.

She tried to move her head, but it felt heavy and the effort made her head hurt. Instead, she tried to move her hand and try to get the attention of whoever was with her, but as she tried to raise it, she felt something grip onto her wrist, preventing her. She tried the other arm, but the same thing happened. It began to dawn on her: she was restrained.

Her heart began to beat faster in chest as she felt panic begin to overwhelm her again, her chest felt tight and she could almost feel her heart pressing against her chest. Her breath started to become uneven. She tried to speak, but her voice came out in a rasp as both her tongue and throat felt dry and heavy.

The sound of her hitched breathing alerted her to the attention of the other people in her room and she heard a commotion as they placed themselves around her bed.

"Yuuri?!" She recognised the male voice and she instantly felt her breathing become even knowing that there was someone she knew with her.

There was more movement around her and she felt the restraints on her arms loosen. She carefully moved her fingers, making sure that they still worked and she almost jumped when she felt a warm hand clasp hers.

"Maybe we should sit her up?" Another male voice asked and though she knew that the question wasn't directed at her, she nodded in response, wincing at the pain that the movement caused throughout her body and after a moment, she felt the part of the bed that her upper body was lying on begin to slowly rise and another pain, this time on her right side, shot through her body. The pain was so excruciating that it made her whimper and she squeezed her eyes closed and clutched her teeth together tightly to try and prevent her from making another sound.

"Ah, sorry Yuuri-san," the second voice said.

"Yuuri," the first voice spoke again. "Yuuri, it's alright. You're in the hospital."

Hospital? The pain in her side abated a tiny bit and she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, allowing her vision to focus. Before her were five people she recognised, four men and a woman, all of them wearing identical looks of relief and concern. Her eyes focused on the man closest to her and she felt a flood of calm flow through her. Her sight drifted downwards, revealing that he was on holding onto her hand. He noticed her gaze and gave her a hand a gentle reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay," he said to her.

"T-Tatsuya?" she questioned, her eyes meeting his. She couldn't believe she was back and surrounded by her friends, her family. Her encounters in the in-between had felt so real and she could vividly remember speaking to Naoto and to her parents. But this was her true reality. She was alive.

He nodded. "We're all here."

She looked around her bed, taking in the looks of Ayase, Sion, Domon and Honami, who all gave her smiles. It was a surreal feeling. She didn't want to focus on them. "I need a drink," she muttered, her voice coming out in a rasp.

"I'll get it, Yuuri-san," Sion eagerly said and he dashed out of her sight. She tried to move her neck to see where he had gone, but it sent another wave of pain through her body.

"You shouldn't try to move," Ayase told her matter—of-factly. "It might aggravate your wounds."

"Wounds?"

"You don't remember?" Domon's eyes narrowed.

"I…" she trailed off, carefully moving her free hand so that it was hovering above the painful part of her side, where she assumed she had been injured. "I'm not dead am I." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Dead?"

She lowered her head, feeling her eyes brim with tears though she didn't know why.

"Yuuri, what…" Tatsuya began.

"Here you are Yuuri-san." Sion held a plastic cup out in front of her. She raised her head slightly to look at her before lifting her hand to take it, noticing the tube that had once been inserted into it. As she reached for it, her hand trembled and Tatsuya took the cup from him.

"Here." He took his other hand off of hers and gently pushed her back slightly, being mindful that her body was in pain and aching. He brought the cup up to her lips, allowing her to sip the cooling water. She raised her trembling hand to touch the other side of the cup and began to tilt it, so that she could continue drinking. In a matter of seconds, she had drunk the entire cup of water. She swallowed heavily, glad to feel the cooling liquid against her dry mouth.

"Thank you," she whispered and she felt tears brim her eyes again.

The other five Timerangers and Honami shared looks of worry. The males had only seen their comrade this emotional two times before. The first being after they had found out the Blast Mad had killed her family, the second being when Don Dolnero had died.

"Yuuri-san, what's wrong?" Sion's voice was full of worry.

"I… I don't know." Her voice came out as a rasp, but it was louder and clearer than before.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Domon asked, leaning over the edge of her bed, a look of confusion on his face.

She blinked and turned her head to look at him. "I… I was on a beach."

Domon breathed a sigh of relief. "So you remember Serperant shooting you, then?" Though his face showed relief, his voice was full of anger.

Her eyes narrowed. That hadn't been what she meant, but then she remembered everything Naoto had told her. Serperant wasn't the enemy. Not really. But he had shot her. She looked at her team mates and at Honami. They weren't ready. They weren't ready to be told about Serperant or that she had been in the in-between with Naoto and her parents. Though her head still felt woozy, that was a thought that was definitely clear in her mind. They weren't ready for that. She looked back down and where the pain in her side was emitting from. "Is that where he shot me?"

"Yes." It was Honami who replied this time and Yuuri could hear the woman's voice break as she spoke.

"How bad?" She didn't lift her eyes.

"The bullet nicked your lung, but they said that with a lot of rest you should be fine," Ayase told her.

She resisted the urge to laugh. Rest? There was no way she would be able to rest. She had to try and save Serperant, arrest him and Lila and find out who was behind everything that had happened. She didn't have time to rest.

"You _have_ to rest Yuuri," Tatsuya said firmly, correctly reading her silence.

She didn't reply. Instead her eyes drifted to the side and she saw one of the tan leather restraints that had been used. "What happened?" She carefully inclined her head towards the restraint.

"Oh, when you first woke up you kind of went a little…" Tatsuya trailed of, unsure of how to continue.

"Crazy," Domon interjected. He let out a laugh. "You gave the nurses a good beating."

Tatsuya shot him a look when he said 'crazy', but he nodded in agreement with the rest of his statement. "The doctor thought it best you be sedated to calm you down. The nurse you kicked insisted on the restraints and after seeing his injuries, the doctor agreed."

Domon laughed again. "You gave him some pretty good bruises. I don't think they were expecting that from someone who had just had surgery."

Sion smiled. "But that's Yuuri-san."

Yuuri gave a small smile before she felt a wave of bile fill her mouth. "Urgh, I feel sick," she muttered.

Tatsuya turned around and picked something off of the table behind him while Sion went and fetched another cup of water. He handed her a minuscule paper bowl with two white tablets in it. "The doctor left these for you," he said. "He said you'd probably feel sick when you woke up."

"Ah, I think I should go and get the doctor," Honami spoke up. "He'll need to know that you're awake." She left the room as Sion came back with the water which he handed to Tatsuya.

Yuuri put the two pills into her mouth before allowing Tatsuya to raise the cup to her lips. She swallowed, feeling it all slide down her throat. She leaned back against her bed and felt Tatsuya's fingers wrap around hers again. She was grateful for the contact. A few moments later, Honami returned with the doctor. He smiled at her as he approached the bed.

"It's good to see you awake," he said approaching the bed. "I'm Doctor Katsimura."

She nodded in return as he walked around the bed and began to check her vitals, taking her pulse. "How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Sick. My whole body hurts," she replied.

He nodded. "That's to be expected. Now, as I expect your friends have told you, we had to operate on you lung. How does it feel? Does it hurt at all?"

"I –" She thought for a moment.

Katsimura noticed her hesitation. He took out his stethoscope and placed one end on her chest as he listened to her breathing. "Can you breathe in deeply for me?"

She breathed deeply, feeling her breath hitch and rasp and a sharp pain shot through her.

Katsimura nodded. "Okay, and again."

She breathed deeply once more and the same thing happened. The doctor removed the stethoscope. "Okay," he said again, "that's to be expected, but it should abate as your lung heals." He placed his hand on her wound, making her wince violently in pain and he nodded again before asking her team mates to leave. They looked at him in confusion.

"I need to check how her wound is doing. I don't think she'll want you all in here for it," he told them, indicating that he would have to move her hospital gown in order for him to do so.

The males let out 'oh's' of realisation as Honami rolled her eyes. All five of them made to leave, but Yuuri's grip on Tatsuya's hand tightened and he turned to look at her in surprise.

"Can you stay?" Her cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment, but she wanted, no, needed him to stay. She needed his presence with her.

"Of course," he said, giving her hand a squeeze and she smiled in relief.

Doctor Katsimura smiled at them as he moved around to the side with her injury. Tatsuya moved so that he was standing by her head. Katsimura put on a pair of gloves and lifted the side of gown, just enough to be able to look at her wound and Tatsuya quickly turned his head after getting a glimpse of her creamy, tanned leg. Katsimura carefully peeled the bandage away, which had a dull red line on it, indicating that the wound had bled slightly and Yuuri winced. He carefully pressed his fingers against the bright red area and along the thick raised two-inch vertical line where her surgery had occurred, making Yuuri give a muffled cry of pain, as she furiously pursed her lips together and Tatsuya made a hissing sound, turning his head away. "It will hurt for a while, but it appears to be healing nicely," Katsimura informed her as she tried to breathe the pain away and Tatsuya squeezed her hand reassuringly. "After that little incident earlier we were worried that it would have reopened, but the stitches have stayed in place and with plenty of rest, it should heal very nicely indeed," he continued, repeating his earlier statement. "I'll get a nurse to replace the bandage," he added, pressing a button on the remote next to her bed and a couple of seconds later a nurse showed up. "Can you redress Yuuri-san's wound?"

"Of course." She disappeared and reappeared a few moments later, her hands gloved and carrying a tray.

"I'll leave her to bandage you up," he said, "and I'll come and check up on you in a little bit."

Both Yuuri and Tatsuya nodded in response. He gave them a smile and left them alone with the nurse who set about reapplying the bandage.

As the nurse redressed Yuuri's injury, there was a knock on the door and Ayase popped his head around. "Sorry," he whispered, "but I need you, Tatsuya."

Tatsuya frowned at him. "Can't it wait?"

Ayase shook his head. "It's Taku. He says it's urgent."

Tatsuya looked round at Yuuri.

"Go," she said to him.

He continued to look at her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Whatever Taku has to say will be important. You need to hear it."

He nodded back at her, though he still looked unsure. "I'll be right outside, alright."

The nurse turned to smile at him. "Don't worry, she'll be fine," she said reassuringly. "I'll come and get you once I'm finished."

Tatsuya nodded before following Ayase out of the room. "What is it?" he asked, aggravated, closing the door slightly.

"Serperant's back," Ayase informed him. "We're heading out."

"What?!"

As the nurse finished bandaging the wound, Yuuri strained her ears, listening to the conversation taking place outside of her room. As soon as she heard Serperant's name mentioned, her ears pricked up and her heart began to beat in worry and she strained her ears even more to listen to what was being said. She heard Tatsuya and Ayase discuss going down to fight him and she realised what they planned on doing. _No_, she thought. She couldn't let them hurt him. He wasn't to blame. She had to get out and reach Serperant before they did.

"All done," the nurse said, bringing her out of thoughts.

She shook her head. "Thank you."

The nurse smiled as she began to put the equipment in the tray. "I'll let your friend know he can come back in."

She shook her head. "Can you take him to get me some water and maybe persuade him to get one for himself?"

The nurse smiled more broadly. "Of course." She left the room and Yuuri listened as she heard her converse with Tatsuya and Ayase.

As soon as she heard the three of them leave, Tatsuya somewhat reluctantly, though she had heard both the nurse and Ayase persuade him, she pulled the drip out of her hand, flexing her fingers at the pain. She looked around and saw that there was a bag of hers. She forced herself off of the bed, the painkillers she had been given earlier were beginning to kick in and pain in her side was diminishing somewhat. Her bare feet touched the cold surface of the floor and as soon as she stood up, her legs wobbled uncontrollably and she clutched onto the side of her bed to stabilise her. After a couple of moments, she pushed herself away from the bed and stumbled over to her bag. Wincing at the pain in her side and chest, she fell to her knees and opened the bag. It was filled with clothes. She grabbed the first items she came across; a pair of loose three-quarter length black jogging bottoms and a grey zip-up top. After hastily putting those on, along with some underwear, ignoring desperately the pain in her body, she found her Chrono Changer lying on the table that had been behind Tatsuya. She pushed herself up, stumbled over to the table and grabbed the device, strapping it to her wrist. She then staggered over to the door, leaving her feet bare. She pushed it open and peered cautiously into the corridor. It was deserted. She took the advantage and slipped out of the room and down the corridor, looking for a way out. She followed signs for the elevator and as soon as she arrived at the closed doors, she pushed the button to go down, clasping at the side for support. There was a 'ding', signalling that the elevator had arrived and the instant the doors opened, she almost feel inside, clutching at the smooth sides and pressed the button for the ground floor. She leaned against the back of the elevator and winced in pain as she closed her eyes, breathing heavily, one of her hands clutching at her injured side.

As the elevator doors closed, Tatsuya and Ayase walked past, discussing how best to tackle Serperant before the Ayase, Sion and Domon left. They walked down the corridor and back into Yuuri's room.

"What the –?!" Ayase gasped, seeing the deserted room. He noticed the open bag. He crouched down next to it. "She must have heard us talking…" He looked at Tatsuya, his eyes wide.

Tatsuya's eyes mimicked Ayase's. He felt panic course through his body. _She couldn't have_. "Damn it!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, sorry! I had hoped that this chapter be more Gaoranger-centric, but, obviously not. I really didn't expect there to be so much Timeranger in this. I always imagined the last Timeranger part to be quite short, but then it expanded when I realised all the little bits had to go in to make it realistic (such as the doctor check). **

**Also, I really didn't expect this story to be going on for so long, lol. And we're no where near done!  
><strong>

**Until next time...  
><strong>


	17. Quest 17

**Quest 17**

Tatsuya's eyes scanned the room. The bed covers had been tossed to one side, while the bag that Ayase was crouched down next to was in disarray, but it was clear: Yuuri was gone.

"Her Chrono Changer's gone," Ayase said, standing up. He let out a sigh. "She must have heard us talking," he repeated, "and now she's gone after him."

Tatsuya slowly overcame his shock. "She can't have gone far." He turned and ran out of the room, almost running into Sion and Domon, who were walking back after saying goodbye to Honami who had left in order to allow Mirai some time to have a proper sleep and feed.

"Oi!" Domon shouted at him, watching him disappear down the corridor.

Sion turned to him nervously. "What's happened? Has something happened to Yuuri-san?"

"I don't know."

Ayase came out of the room, looking flustered. "Where's Tatsuya gone?"

"Down there." Sion pointed down the corridor. "What's going on?"

"Yuuri's gone."

"What? What do you mean 'gone'?" Domon almost raged as the colour in Sion's face paled as he looked on with anticipation.

"Exactly what I said," Ayase snapped back. "Tatsuya and I were discussing how to deal with Serperant and we were heading back to the room before I was going to get you guys, but by the time we got back, she had gone." He let out a heavy sigh. "She must have heard us talking."

Domon's face began to turn red with anger. "How could she have heard you talking if you weren't near her room?"

"We were just outside the door," Ayase replied, his anger rising along with Domon's.

"What we're you doing outside her door?! You shouldn't have left her room!" the yellow Timeranger thundered and Sion cowered back, whereas Ayase stayed calm as he replied.

"We wouldn't have, but the nurse said she wanted some water so we went to get some," Ayase explained, ignoring Domon's reddening face and fisted hands. "By the time we got back the nurse had finished her job and Yuuri was gone."

"Dammit! Why wasn't she under supervision?" Before either Sion or Ayase could say anything, Domon stormed down the corridor to the reception desk which was around a corner, out of sight from Yuuri's room.

There was a nurse sat at the station, typing into a computer. She heard the thunderous footsteps approaching and lifted her head. "Hello, how can I help you?"

Domon's face had turned red with anger. He stomped the desk and slammed his hands on top of the wooden surface, making the nurse jump in surprise. "What kind of hospital is this?!" he thundered at her.

The nurse stood up, a look of confusion and fear on her face. "Sir, I don't understand." Her voice trembled.

"Our friend has disappeared from her room!" he shouted. "Where the hell is she?!"

"A patient's missing?"

"Dude," Ayase said, grabbing hold of Domon's arm, "you need to calm down."

"I'll calm down once I get some answers! What kind of hospital allows patients that have just come out of surgery to just up and leave?!"

The nurse ignored his outburst, her expression turning into one of concern. "Which patient?" she asked urgently.

"Our friend, Yuuri-san," Sion explained. "She was recovering from a gunshot wound."

The nurse nodded and reached for the phone, but Domon grabbed hold of her other wrist, stopping her.

"What kind of hospital just lets patients leave?!" he repeated, snarling at her.

Knowing that a patient's life was at risk, the nurse refused to let her personal emotions get the better of her and she kept her voice steady as she spoke. "This is a hospital, not a prison," she said. "We had no reason to suspect that your friend would leave." She placed the hand that had been reaching for the phone on top of Domon's. "Now if you don't mind, I need to contact security to try and find your friend. I can't do that if you don't let me."

"Domon-san, let go," Sion pleaded.

The yellow Timeranger threw the nurse a look of pure fury before relenting. He let go of her arm, revealing the thick red mark on her skin from the pressure that he had applied during his outburst. The nurse ignored the throbbing in her wrist as she quickly turned and picked up the phone and calling the hospital's security department. The three remaining Timerangers turned away from the desk.

"What should we do?" Sion asked, his voice a whisper. "Do we go and look for Yuuri-san or help the Gaorangers?"

"We'll go and help the Gaorangers," Ayase replied. "Tatsuya should be able to find her."

"Let's hope that Tatsuya can find Yuuri before their security does," Domon said in a low voice.

The other two nodded in unison at the statement, knowing that there was no way Yuuri would willingly return to the hospital with the security guards. They all shared a knowing look before taking off down the corridor towards the stairs and out of the hospital, towards the location of Serperant.

G|T

"Argh!" Kakeru let out a pained moan as he was thrown back, landing heavily on his side, his Gao Mane Buster flying from his hand. He shook his head as he slowly sat up, ignoring the pain coursing through his body from the repeated strikes and attacks from Serperant. He watched as his comrades were also repeatedly pushed down by Serperant. He grabbed his weapon and staggered back onto his feet. He didn't know how long they had been fighting the futuristic criminal, but he knew that during the time they had been fighting, they had barely been able to land a scratch on him. It was like he was able to anticipate their movements, even when they attacked at the same time and from different directions and all of their suits were tainted with black scorch marks from the continuously onslaught of slashes and shots from Serperant. He hated to think it, but he had no idea how they were supposed to defeat him.

Gao Yellow leapt into the air, preparing to strike at Serperant from behind with his Eagle Sword, but Serperant turned, blocking the attack before pushing his own sword against Gaku's, sending the Soaring Eagle flying over him. The yellow Gaoranger landed on his back with a heavy thud.

"Yellow!" Gao White rushed over to him, crouching down next him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Gaku muttered, pushing himself up, his sword still in his hand. He turned to Kakeru. "I think we need to call the Timerangers, Red!" he yelled. "We need their help!"

Kakeru frowned beneath his helmet, as he thought. That was something he didn't want to do. He lifted his head and watched as Serperant took out Gao Blue and Gao Black with a single attack before pushing Gao Silver away before any of them could strike at him.

"He's right, Red," Sae agreed. "I don't think we can do this without them."

"We don't have a choice," Shirogane added from his position a few feet away, having overheard the conversation from his position. "We have to contact them." He rolled out of the way as Serperant shot an attack at him, firing his Gao Hustler Rod back at him, but once again, Serperant deflected the attack.

Gaku rushed over to Kakeru, grabbing his shoulders. "This is getting ridiculous," he almost snapped at the leader. "We can barely land a single attack on him. We need reinforcements. We need the Timerangers."

Kakeru swallowed. He didn't have a choice. They were getting beaten, badly and Serperant was showing no signs of being tired. "Fine," he muttered, taking out his G-Phone and dialling the number the Timerangers had given him. He was surprised when he heard the voice of Taku on the other end. "Eh, Taku?"

"Yes," replied the voice of the robotic owl.

Kakeru lifted his head and glanced at the others before swallowing and speaking into his G-Phone once more. "Um, we need to get a hold of the Timerangers," he said. "They told us to call this number. I thought it would go straight to them."

"All messages go through me," Taku stated.

"Oh." He paused. "Can you put me through to one of them?"

"I will need to know the nature of the message."

Kakeru sighed. He couldn't believe it was harder talking to a robot than to a human. "We need their help with Serperant. Can you send them to our location?"

"They are already on their way," Taku informed him and Kakeru raised his eyebrows in surprise and he looked at the others sensing that they wore identical looks to his own.

"Oh," he replied again.

"I have already detected Serperant's presence and have informed the Timerangers of such. They should be with you shortly," Taku said before Kakeru could ask another question.

"Okay… thanks." He flipped his G-Phone closed, a look of confusion on his face. He shook his head, confused as to the conversation he had just had. He had thought conversing with animals and Gao Lion to be strange, but having a conversation with a robot? He shook his head again.

"They're on their way?" The sound of Sae's voice brought him back to his senses.

"Looks like it." He shook his head again, still overcome by having a conversation with a robotic owl.

"Are you sure?" Gai inquired. "You did just have a conversation with a talking owl. Are you sure it understood what you were saying?"

Sae's head shot around to look at him. Beneath her helmet, she frowned. "Red had a conversation with a robotic owl," she reminded him, "from the _future_. I'm pretty sure he knew exactly what was being said."

Kakeru nodded. "The Timerangers are on their way," he iterated. He held his Gao Mane Buster ready. "But let's try and do some damage before they get here."

Gaku smiled. "Yeah, won't want them thinking they're better than us." He let out a laugh, before charging back to join Shirogane, Sotaro and Kai in fighting Serperant.

Sae stared at the scene and jumped when she felt Kakeru place a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright?"

She nodded. "It's just strange," she muttered. "We've never faced a foe this powerful or skilful before."

Kakeru nodded in agreement. "But we've got the Timerangers to help us," he said.

She nodded. "We will win, won't we?" She looked up at him.

"Of course we will. We're full of motivation." He held up and fisted hand, showing his determination and she let out a small laugh, her worries washing away. "You ready?"

She tightened her grip on her Tiger Baton and nodded. "Let's go." She ran behind Kakeru as he raced towards Serperant, jumping into the air and shooting at him.

Serperant lazily dodged the attack and was ready to block Sae's attack, pushing her back. He hissed, his tongue flicking in and out of his mouth. The Gaorangers weren't a challenge for him. They were weak and easily tired. The Timerangers on the other hand… He had been sent to battle them, they were his priority now that he knew that Don Dolnero wasn't around to protect or help. They were a more worthy opponent. The only point of the attack was to lure them out, not the puny Gaorangers. This fight was tideous and it was boring him, but he had to follow orders. He had to wait for the Timerangers to show, no matter how long it took. As he blocked yet another easy attack, he wondered why Ura specifically said that he was to lure the Timerangers out. He had wounded one of them badly which had resulted in them becoming distracted. He knew that that wasn't enough, that they had to be destroyed, but he wondered why Ura was fixated on them. He was an Org. His priority was supposed to be the Gaorangers, yet he was showing more interest in the Timerangers. Serperant didn't really care about what Ura had planned, but he knew that he wasn't going to be used as a puppet for the Org. He was going to take care of the Timerangers and return to the future with Lila. He readied himself for another attempted onslaught by the Gaorangers, while he waited for patiently for the Timerangers. He knew they were going to come.

G|T

Yuuri staggered through the deserted streets, her hand clutched to her side. Her vision was blurring and the pain was incredible, but she kept pushing her feet forward. She had to get to Serperant. She had to help him, tell him that Dolnero had tricked him and let him know who he really was.

She had passed hysterical citizens, running past her in the opposite direction. Luckily, none of them had paid her any stead and she was glad of that. The last thing she wanted was to be carted back to the hospital. Not when she was so close. She knew that she was going to be in trouble, that she shouldn't have left, but she had no choice. She had to get to Serperant.

Her vision was turning increasingly fuzzy and darkening as she pushed forward and she could hear a strange buzzing sensation in her ears.

She staggered against the wall of a building, hitting her shoulder forcefully against it, sending painful tremors through her arm and she tried to avoid hitting her side against the wall. She took deep breaths and she leaned back against it, closing her eyes. She needed to rest just for a minute. She could feel a wet, sticky substance on her fingers and reluctantly opened her eyes, wincing as she did so. She looked down and saw that her blood had seeped through her bandages and clothes, tainting her fingers. She had torn her wound open.

"Damn it," she muttered, leaned her head back against the wall again and closing her eyes. She pressed her hand against it, and hissed with pain. She had nothing to bandage the wound. She let out a groan as she pressed her hands firmer against her side.

There was nothing she could do. She had to continue. She couldn't, wouldn't, go back. Wearily, and wincing in pain, she opened her eyes, her vision less clouded and pushed herself away from the wall, taking staggered steps as she continued her journey towards where Serperant was.

She had barely taken a couple of paces before she vision began to darken again. She shook her head. No, she had to keep going. The buzzing in her ears grew louder and her head began to throb as her eyesight continued to go black. She could barely see. She couldn't see the steps in front of her and tripped, but rather than fall onto the hard ground, she felt a pair of warm hands catch her, feel fingers against the bare skin on her arms.

In amongst the buzzing, she thought she could hear someone call her name and her body slumped against the one holding onto her as her remaining energy faded, the arms holding on to her tightened their grip against her skin. She closed her eyes, hoping then when she opened them, she would be able to see again. She slowly sunk to her knees, the person still holding on to her as they mimicked her movement.

"Yuuri," she heard the voice of a male, the person holding on to her, say. Her head was still fuzzy and she barely registered that her name had been said.

"Wha–" her mouth moved, but she was barely able to form the words.

She felt a hand move from her arm and felt a pressure on the top of head, pushing it forward so that it hit what she assumed was the chest of the person holding on to her. The hand moved from the top of head and ran down her hair before cupping the base of her skull.

The two of them stayed like that without a word uttered between them. She wanted to know who she was with, but she still didn't have the energy to speak, but the longer they stayed in the position they were in, the more she could feel the pain in her side and the wet stickiness she could feel on her hand was increasing.

Eventually, the man pushed away and she forced herself to open her eyes. She let out a small gasp of surprise and her eyes widened. "T-Tatsuya?!" She licked her dry lips as she recognised the person.

Tatsuya frowned at her. "What are you doing?" he asked her. "You shouldn't be out here. You're supposed to be in the hospital." There was a hint of disappointment among the concern that she heard in his voice.

She didn't respond. She couldn't tell him why she really left. She knew he would ask a lot of questions that she didn't want to answer, not without getting to Serperant first. Serperant, she reminded herself, she had to get to him. Her eyes flickered away from Tatsuya's face, focusing on the gray concrete to the left of her.

Tatsuya sighed. "Are you alright?" he asked her, noting the paleness of her skin, realising that it was probably the first thing he should have said to her. "Look, I'm sorry," he said calmly. "But you really had me worried." She didn't reply and he sighed again, before carefully pushing her back to look at her wound. He let out a surprised gasp at seeing the red staining her pale skin. "Yuuri!" He hands quickly placed themselves over hers and he pushed down to apply pressure to it. "We need to get you back to the hospital."

Those words brought her back to her senses. "No!" she cried, pushing him away from her, making him fall onto his backside. Her eyes were open and alert, the dizziness and haziness instantly disappearing. Ignoring the soaring pain in her side, she stumbled backwards as she got to her feet, her arms thrown out slightly in order for her to keep her balance. She shook her head furiously. "No."

Tatsuya stared at her, his eyes wide. He hadn't expected that reaction from her. He could see the panic in her eyes. He carefully got to his feet and approached her, though she continued to take steps away from, looking around as she did so, as if trying to regain her bearings. "Yuuri, calm down," he said, holding up his hands. "We need to go back to the hospital. You're bleeding."

She continued to shake her head as she looked around. "No," she repeated.

Tatsuya frowned. "Yuuri, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, still not looking at him. "Nothing you need to worry about." She knew that was a stupid and pointless thing to say, that it wouldn't stop him from worrying about her, but she still couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. She had to confront Serperant first. She remembered the way in which had be travelling and her feet moved in that direction once more.

Tatsuya watched her, still in shock at how quickly she had recovered. He shook his head, clearing it as she began to walk away before rushing over to and grabbing her wrist, forcing her to turn around. "What are you doing?"

"Let go." Even though her body was facing him, she continued to refuse to look at him. She didn't want to see the look of dejection on his face. She tried to shake her hand free but to no avail. His grip tightened. "Let go."

"No. What's going on?" His free hand placed itself on her injured side. He sighed. "We need to get this bandaged again."

She looked down and saw the blood that had stained his hands and knew that it had stained hers as well. She couldn't go back to the hospital, but there wasn't any harm in letting him bandage her up. "Fine," she muttered, looking at her hands. "But here. Not back at the hospital and do it quickly."

He continued to frown as he agreed to her terms and let go of her. He pulled off his shirt and ripped off the arms, before tearing a chunk of his shirt apart. He crouched down in front of her and his hands moved to her hips and he felt his cheeks redden as he carefully pushed the bottom of her grey top up, revealing the red-stained bandage. He swallowed as his fingers skimmed across her stomach and he heard her take a breath. He gently pulled the bandage off of her skin before quickly applying the ripped section of his shirt to it. "Are you alright?" he asked her, feeling her wince at the pressure.

"Yeah," she replied softly.

He nodded and continued his work, attaching the two arm sleeves to each other by their buttons to make them longer, before tightly wrapping them around her waist. He heard her take an intake of breath as he tightly secured the makeshift bandage. He swallowed as his fingers trailed up her side and he felt her body instinctively shiver from his touch before his fingers reached her top, cautiously pulling it back down. He then stood up and was surprised to see that her cheeks were slightly flushed. "All done," he told her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He frowned at her once more, seeing that she still wasn't looking at him.

Yuuri didn't notice his expression as she began to turn and walk away from him. Now that she was bandaged up again, she could get back to getting to Serperant. She had only managed to take a couple of paces before she felt him grab her wrist again.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. She didn't respond, not that he had expected her to since she was in one of her stubborn, determined moods. He let out a heavy sigh. "Is this about Serperant?"

She turned around. Did he know? _No,_ she reminded herself. He was talking about Serperant reappearing, nothing else. "You have to let me go."

He shook his head. "No. You're injured. You're in no position to fight Serperant."

"You don't understand. You need to let me go."

"Why? So you can fight Serperant?" His grip tightened on her wrist.

Yuuri looked down at his head. "Tatsuya," she muttered, "please."

He shook his head sadly. "You have to tell me what's going on, Yuuri, please."

She heard the pleading in his voice, but she couldn't do it. She wasn't ready to utter those words out loud. "I can't."

"Why?" She could almost hear the aspiration in his voice. "Why won't you tell me? Please, Yuuri, just look at me and tell me."

"Why?!" she suddenly shouted, surprising herself as her eyes locked with his and she was surprised to see that despite his tone, his eyes were soft and filled with worry. Worry for her. She felt her eyes brim with tears. Why was he doing this? Why couldn't he just let her go? "Why are you doing this?" Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke.

He gave her an anxious look. "Doing what?" He swallowed. They were at a crossroads, on the brink on her telling him everything. He knew she was hiding something, it was clearly evident. He wanted to help her and in order to do that, he had to know what was going on.

"This!" She threw her free arm out wildly whist being mindful of her wound. Her eyes were feeling heavy with tears. "Why do you care so much?"

He stared at her. He was positive that they had had this conversation before. He thought that they both knew where they stood, together, but it seemed that she was pushing him away again, like she always did. _Why is she always so determined to do this on her own?_ He wondered. She knew he was there for her, but she still refused to allow him in despite coming to an unspoken agreement about the state of their relationship.

When he didn't respond, she shouted at him again. "Why?" she cried. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I can't lose you again!"

She let out a gasp and took a step back. He had repeated the same words she had uttered to him. Even though she knew that they had come to an understanding, that they were together, the fact that he said those words threw her into a stunned silence. She blinked hard, allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks and she didn't resist when she felt him pull her towards him and she rested her head against his chest as her arms wrapped around his torso as his own were placed around her waist.

"I can't lose you," he whispered into her hair. He hadn't expected her to breakdown like that and it made him realise that there was more going on with her. It wasn't just about defeating Serperant. Something must have happened when she had nearly died. It had had such a devastating emotional impact on him that he had forgotten that it would have had an effect on her as well, though he also realised that she had no idea that they, he, had actually almost lost her completely. "Please," he begged. "Please talk to me Yuuri."

She sniffed against his chest. "I can't," she whispered.

Tatsuya let out a sigh. He needed her to open up. He thought that she had, that she knew she could trust him no matter what, but here she was, hiding things again. He was about to tell her this when she whispered against his chest again.

"Not yet."

He stared with unseeing eyes for a moment, her words stunning him. He had realised that it was going to be something big, something important was causing such a effect on her and the right thing for him to was to not to press her, to let her tell him when she was ready. "Okay," he muttered. "Tell me in your own time."

She nodded. "Thank you," she replied, lifting her head so that she was looking up at him, her eyes red-rimmed.

Tatsuya ran a hand over her hair, soothingly. He looked down, his eyes connecting with hers and she was surprised to see how watery they were. She hadn't realised the effect she had had on him and it made her wonder what had happened whist she had been unconscious. She wanted to ask him, but knew that there would be a time for that later when they would both sit down and she would tell about what she knew about Serperant and Naoto. She still had to tell him about Naoto. But, first, she had to get to Serperant. She began to push herself away from him.

"I need to go," she muttered.

"What? Go where?"

"Serperant. I need to get to Serperant," she told him, moving past him.

"Serperant?" He reached for her wrist. "You're not going to fight him!"

She turned. "No." She shook her head sadly. "No, I'm not. But I have to get to him."

Tatsuya didn't understand. If she wasn't going to fight him, then why did she need to get to him?

Yuuri noticed the confusion on his face. "I told you that I would tell you later," she reminded him, her stern voice returning. "You have to let me go."

He nodded in agreement to her first statement. "But what if he tries to shoot you again? I won't risk it." He wasn't willing to let her walk into his senses again. If he shot her once, he was more than capable of doing it again.

"He won't," she softly said.

"You don't know that."

She gave him a small smile. "Trust me." She took a step forward and placed her hand on his cheek. She stared into his eyes before leaning up, closing her eyes and pressing her lips gently against his. Her lips were rough and chapped due to her recent lack of water and she inwardly winced at the thought of the fact that they were sharing their first kiss and she had dry lips. _Finally_, she thought to herself as she smiled, feeling him respond to the kiss. She couldn't believe how natural it felt. It was an action she had been dreading and had filled with her unease. If it didn't feel right, then their relationship wasn't right. But it did and she felt her body relax as his lips moved against hers, her arms moving and wrapping around his neck as he placed his hands on her waist. After a few moments, she moved away and felt slightly amused at seeing his stunned face. She reached up again. "Trust me," she whispered in his ear before running back towards the location of Serperant, once more ignoring the pain her body felt.

Tatsuya shook his head. Yuuri had just kissed him. He smiled, remembering the feel of her lips against his. Though they had been rough, they had been hers. But he felt annoyance with himself since it had been her who had initiated the kiss rather than him. He heard her voice echo in his head. _Trust me_. He shook his head again and saw that Yuuri had disappeared. "Dammit," he muttered. Knowing where she was heading, he once more took after her. After all, she hadn't said that he couldn't go with her.

As she ran, Yuuri kept her mind focused. She couldn't think about the moment she and Tatsuya had just shared. There would be time for that later. She had to keep her mind on Serperant, though she had no idea what she was going to do once she reached him. How was she supposed to get him to understand and remember? She shook her head as she ran. She'll think of something when the time came.

The further Yuuri ran, the louder the sounds of battle were, telling her that she was getting closer. She ran down an alleyway and stopped at the top of some steps. Below her, she could clearly see the Gaorangers, half of whom were lying on the ground, withering in agony while the remaining three, along with Domon, Ayase and Sion were fighting Serperant, though their attacks were having little effect on the criminal. She watched as Serperant was distracted by an attack from Sion, Kai and Shirogane while Ayase and Domon used their Vol weapons to shoot him.

"Serperant!"


	18. Quest 18

**Quest 18**

Ayase, Domon and Sion raced through the streets towards the location of Serperant. They had already transformed into the Timerangers. In a few short minutes, they arrived at the location Taku had given them, an area surrounded by tall buildings. They stood atop the steps, looking down momentarily into the dip where they saw the Gaorangers being constantly pushed back by Serperant's sharp and quick attacks.

"He's still doing that annoying thing then," Domon muttered, the annoyance clear in his voice and Sion and Ayase turned their heads to look at him. "Being able to deflect our attacks," he clarified.

Ayase nodded. "Looks liked it." He brought his Twin Vector out, holding it in front of him. "Let's go." He jumped down the steps in one leap and ran towards Serperant.

Domon and Sion watched him, before bringing out their own Arrow Vectors. They turned to look at each other.

"Let's kick some ass," Domon snarled.

Sion nodded. "For Yuuri-san," he added and in unison, the two leapt down the steps and joined Ayase and the Gaorangers.

"You took your time getting here," Gaku joked upon seeing Ayase join him, his knees bent from the weight being applied onto his Eagle Sword by Serperant.

"Yeah, well, in case you forgot, we were busy," Ayase retorted, not picking up Gaku's tone as he groaned, trying to push Serperant's weight off of the yellow Gaoranger.

"Dude, I was joking," Gaku muttered, pushing his weight upwards and together the two were able to force Serperant away, the criminal letting out a hiss as he took a step back.

Ayase let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. It was moments like these that he understood Yuuri's reluctance to work with others. The thought of the pink Timeranger sent a pang through his heart and he hoped that Tatsuya had managed to catch up with her.

"Thanks, anyway," the yellow Gaoranger muttered sheepishly.

Ayase gave him a curt nod before running over to Serperant now was, currently battling against Gao Red and Time Yellow and Green, his Vector Arrow, held out in front of him, ready to strike at the criminal.

Sae slapped the back of Gaku's head, startling the Soaring Eagle who hadn't known she was there. "You really need to watch what you say sometimes," she reprimanded him, shaking her head before running to join the others in their continuous onslaught against Serperant.

Gaku shook his head. He wasn't used to people not getting his sense of humour, but then realised that Sae was right. It probably hadn't been the best time to state that they were late to a battle, even jokingly, considering one of their team members was laid up in a hospital bed. He shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't going to let it bother him though. They wouldn't be working together for much longer and anyway, there were more pressing matters at hand. He looked over at the battle, still unable to believe that Serperant was still able to hold all of them off, before following Sae and Ayase's footsteps and rejoining the battle.

Kakeru grunted with exhaustion as he sidestepped to avoid Serperant's tail. He had never felt this tired fighting an Org. From his position, he was able to see his team members and could see that they were faltering in their attacks, their fatigue evident. He was glad that the Timerangers had showed up when they did. He didn't know for how much longer they would have been able to keep standing and though their arrival had given them all a new lease of life, he knew that it wasn't enough. They had been fighting the same enemy for ages, barely being able to hit the target. He had no idea how Serperant was able to keep going.

He had noticed, however, that Serperant wasn't tackling them unless they attacked him first or if he sensed an advantage. Kakeru had been stood still for a couple of minutes now and Serperant hadn't once tried to attack him. The red Gaoranger knew that it wasn't because he was too busy fighting the others, since there had been a few times when the futuristic creature could have shot at him, but because he was being attacked and was fighting back as if he were only defending himself. Kakeru thought back to their previous fights with Serperant, but his thought didn't seem to apply to those. Serperant had directly attacked Yuuri. That definitely hadn't been an act of defence. He frowned. Nothing about him made sense. Only that he was calculating and planned with precise movements. But other than that, he didn't seem like any of the other villains they had faced, who by now would have made a reckless move allowing them to be defeated. Serperant was powered by something else and Kakeru made a mental note to bring this up with both his comrades and the Timerangers later. If they survived the battle, that was.

"Oi, Red!" Gaku shouted at him as he rolled across the ground, stopping at his feet. "We're in the middle of a battle, remember? You haven't got time to daydream!"

Kakeru shook his head quickly before reaching down and helping Gaku to his feet. "Sorry," he apologised. "I don't know what came over me."

Gaku shrugged his shoulders, brushing himself off. "Whatever," he replied. "Just get back in there."

Kakeru nodded dumbly, his Gao Mane Buster ready in his hand and ran forward, joining the fray, firing his weapon at the opponent, only for Serperant to swiftly dodge the attacks, feeling the sound vibrate through the air. Kakeru groaned in anger before firing again.

The Timerangers weren't having any more success. Like with the Gaorangers, every time they tried to attack, their moves were either parried or avoided, even when Ayase used both of his Arrow Vectors at the same time. Serperant managed to block one with his sword and the other with his rifle. Like Kakeru, he didn't understand how Serperant was able to do it, how he was able to hold off nine opponents by himself. He knew the criminal had been trained, but the extent of his power was something he simply couldn't fathom. He staggered back as Serperant struck him across his chest and watched the scene before him as he regained his breath. Both the Gaorangers and Sion and Domon were working individually, using their attacks at their own pace and were attacking at different times. Ayase wondered if their individual attacks weren't working, then maybe they should take a different approach. He looked over at Kakeru who was getting back onto his feet after being pushed back. "Oi, Gao Red!" he shouted.

Kakeru turned to look. He saw Ayase addressing him and he staggered over. "What is it?"

"I've just thought, our attacks aren't working, right?" Ayase questioned and Kakeru nodded in response. "I think I've got an idea."

Kakeru's ears perked up. "I'm listening," he said, the curiosity and interest evident in his voice.

"Look," the blue Timeranger replied, gesturing towards their still fighting comrades. "They're fighting individually. I think we need to work as a team and have our attacks hit him directly at the same time."

"We've tried that before, but it didn't work," Kakeru reminded him.

Ayase nodded. "But what I'm suggesting is something a bit different."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a combination attack with all of your weapons, right? Well let's use it."

"But you can't use yours. Tatsuya and Yuuri aren't here. It won't work," Kakeru pointed out.

"I know. What I'm suggesting is that you use yours to attack Serperant."

Kakeru frowned. "But he'll sense it coming. It'll be pointless."

Beneath his helmet, Ayase smiled. "No it won't."

The lead Gaoranger tilted his head in confusion. He didn't understand what Ayase was planning.

"Because me, Domon and Sion will act as a diversion. We'll attack Serperant at the same time, allowing you to fire your weapon at him."

Kakeru's eyes widened with realisation and he instantly smiled. They had tried to divert Serperant's attention before, but it had been a clumsy attempt, but this time it was planned. "Let's do it."

They nodded in unison before running in opposite directions to inform their teammates of the plan of attack without Serperant hearing them. One last slash of the sword sent the Gaorangers flying and they took the opportunity to assemble their Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken while the Timerangers took their positions around Serperant, ready to strike at him with their Arrow Vectors.

Ayase took a breath. This was it. He gave the other two a curt nod of his head and together they activated the Accel Stop function on their suits, pressing their Chrono Changers. Instantly their weight became lighter and Serperant turned around in a circle, sensing the decrease in weight on the sand where the three had been standing. With inhuman speed, the three of them leapt deftly into the air the exact same time, slashing their Arrow Vectors. The joint attacks caught Serperant unawares as he was still trying to understand why there had been a decrease in the weight and their movements had been too quick for him to register. He let out a pained snarl as he rolled across the sand, the three Timerangers moving out of the way to allow the Gaorangers to attack.

The Gaorangers, seeing Serperant fall, readied themselves. "Evil Disp–"

"Serperant!"

"–erse!"

The scream caught them all unawares and they turned in shock to see Yuuri standing atop the steps, her face aghast as she watched the attack hit Serperant, sending the criminal flying though the air.

"No!" she cried, her eyes wide in horror.

"Yuuri-san?!" Sion took a step forward in surprise.

Yuuri breathed heavily, exhausted from running, her eyes fixed on Serperant. Her hand clutched her side and she could begin to feel a wetness seep onto her fingers, telling her that she had once more opened up her wound. "Serperant…" she muttered. Seeing the criminal, her mother's former bodyguard, sent memories rushing though her mind. She remembered her and her sister playing with him as her parents watched on… him waving at her and her waving back wildly, a large smile on her face. The memories that she had kept buried for so long had come to the fore, triggered by her meeting with her parents and Naoto. They had shown her the truth and allowed her to remember.

Despite everything that had happened, the memories had triggered the good emotions she felt towards Serperant and rather than feel satisfaction at seeing Serperant wither in pain, she felt fear and worry for him. She stepped forward, down the steps, not realising what she was doing, her eyes fixed on him.

"Yuuri, what are you doing?" Domon called, seeing that she was heading towards the fallen criminal, but she ignored him and her steps quickened.

"Yuuri!" Tatsuya appeared from behind her and grabbed hold her arms, stopping her from moving. "What are you doing?"

She struggled against his grip. "Let me go."

He furiously shook his head. "No. That's Serperant, remember? He's a member of the Londarz family. He shot you."

Yuuri shook her head in return. She knew all that. She knew who he was and what he had done. That was why she had to get to him. "You don't understand. You have to let me go." She continued to struggle against him.

"I'm not letting you go."

She stopped her movements, hearing the pleading tone of his voice. She remembered the conversation they had just had and knew that he wasn't just pleading with her out of a sense of duty, but because he really did care about her. Her mind was now conflicted. Should she listen to him and not approach Serperant or should she ignore him and fulfil what she had come to do, to tell Serperant the truth? Her eyes darted from left to right as she struggled to make a decision.

"Oi, what's going on?" Domon, Ayase, Sion and the Gaorangers had arrived next to them, leaving Serperant to wither in pain on the ground. "Yuuri, what's going on? Tatsuya?"

Tatsuya shook his head, relaxing his grip, while Yuuri's eyes continued to flicker from side to side. "I don't know."

"Is she alright?" Sae asked, bending down to look at Yuuri's face.

Tatsuya opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped when his eye caught the figure dressed all in white, her distinctive pink hair flowing with the breeze. "Lila…" he muttered and everyone except Yuuri turned to see the woman.

Lila sauntered over to Serperant, a frown, a look of disgust, evident on her face, her pink lips forming a tight line. Her white heeled boots clicked against the grey pavement, her cloak swishing behind her. She crouched down next to Serperant and placed a hand on his shoulder. Instantly his movements ceased and a low, rasping hiss could be heard. Lila's eyes narrowed and her head shot up looking in the direction of the Timerangers and Gaorangers.

"You missed," she snapped at him, though she kept her voice low, as her eyes rested upon Yuuri. She sighed and rolled her eyes before standing up.

Serperant copied her as he continued to hiss. A trickle of dark blood slid down his leg, staining the white of his robes. His tail flicked from side to side.

"Patience," Lila said to him. "Ura wants you back at the Matrix." Her eyes flickered back at the two teams. "You'll have time for that later."

Serperant let out another hiss and followed Lila as she began to step back. Yuuri's head snapped up and she saw the two moved backwards and the thin trickle of blood on Serperant's leg.

"Stop!" she cried, pushing herself forward, almost falling as Tatsuya's hands left her.

Lila stopped and looked at her. She let out a high-pitched laugh. "Do you really think you're in any state to face us?" She laughed again; taking in Yuuri's wounded side, her pale complexion and how her body shook without any support to steady her.

Yuuri didn't reply. She narrowed her eyes and shook off the attempts from the others to try and grab hold of her. She took a determined step forward.

Lila let out another laugh. "Oh," she said, a look of realisation on her face. "You think you can save him, don't you."

Yuuri stopped, startled at her words, then it hit her. Of course Lila would know. "Y-you know?" She mentally kicked herself for stumbling with her words.

Lila smiled, showing her teeth. "Of course I know. I know everything." She placed her hand on Serperant's shoulder. She looked at him before looking back at Yuuri. "You'll never get him back you know. You can't save him." Her smile widened even more. "You'll get to watch as he takes everything away from you." She laughed once more and grabbed hold of the end of her cloak pulling across herself and Serperant.

"No!" The Timerangers and Gaorangers rushed forward, but it was too late, the two of them had vanished.

Yuuri staggered back and felt her body collide with something hard and she knew that Tatsuya had grabbed her again and she was glad for the support she desperately needed now. She felt her body shake as Lila's words went around and around in her mind. She knew. She knew who Serperant really was and now she was going to use him more than what she already was. Her body sunk against Tatsuya.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

She shook her head. It was too much for her to take in. She took deep breaths but it wasn't enough to calm her.

"Yuuri?!"

She felt his grip tighten as her eyes rolled back and her eyesight faded to black.

G|T

"This is ridiculous," Gaku muttered under his breath. "We should have gone back to the hospital."

The Gaorangers had accompanied the Timerangers back to their apartment, in order to check that Yuuri was alright, but also to talk about strategies and to see if the Timerangers had any ideas as to why Yuuri had shown concern for Serperant and to ask about Lila's words to the pink Timeranger, though it was a matter none of them were sure of how to bring up, though at the same time, none of them wanted too.

Upon their arrival, the Gaorangers had actually been surprised at the simplicity of the apartment. It looked basic with a small combined living room and dining room and appeared to consist of just two bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen. The room was painted a white colour with matching doors, though the walls were covered in photographs of the Timerangers and upon closer inspection, saw that some also featured Honami and Naoto. They hadn't been able to hide their looks of surprise. They had expected to see high-tech, futuristic equipment, not a plain apartment.

Kakeru looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Why? She ran out of there once, she's more than capable of doing it again."

Kai, however smiled. He elbowed Gaku in the side. "Is Yellow caring about someone other than himself?"

Gaku looked aghast at this and furiously shook his head as the other Gaorangers smirked. "No. No way. I'm just saying, she's a member of the Timerangers. She needs to be in the right environment to heal properly. Surely the hospital is the best place for that." He looked over at the closed bedroom door in which Tatsuya had carried an unconscious Yuuri into almost an hour ago. Not long after their return to the Timerangers' apartment, a man, whom they presumed was a doctor had arrived and disappeared into Yuuri's room, closely followed by Honami and her son who were sat at the table with the other three Timerangers.

"The best place for her to be is where she is most comfortable, which is here," Shirogane said. "A hospital has the necessary resources, but it isn't the best place for her to be."

Sae nodded in agreement and bit her lower lip. "She will be alright, won't she?" She looked over at the closed door.

Kai smiled and clasped a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Of course she will. She made it all that way without badly injuring herself. She just needs to rest."

Sae shook her head. "That isn't what I meant."

Kakeru nodded in agreement. "You're thinking about the incident with Serperant and Lila, aren't you?" Sae nodded in response. "Something's not right about that," he continued. "Why would she suddenly want to protect him? And remember what Lila said: that Yuuri can't save him?"

"Do you think something could have happened after she was shot?" Sotaro wondered.

Gaku let out a low snort. "Like what? That that bullet had some hallucinogenic element on it that caused her to see him as a good guy?"

There was a serious silence following this as the six Gaorangers looked at each other, eyes wide and mouths open slightly, stunned at Gaku's words. Could it be possible?

Gaku let out a nervous laugh. "I was joking," he muttered, surprised at the response his words had received. While he had meant it as a joke, he now wondered if there was actually any truth behind it. "Maybe something happened in the future?"

"We'll have to say something to the Timerangers," Kakeru said. "Maybe it is possible."

"But wouldn't they have said something to us if something did happen in the future?" Sotaro asked, worried that the Timerangers might have been hiding information from them.

The door to the bedroom opened before anyone had a chance to reply and the Timerangers leapt to their feet as Tatsuya and the doctor emerged, deep in conversation. Without a word to any of the waiting Timerangers or Gaorangers, Tatsuya and the doctor walked across the room, towards the door out of the apartment. Tatsuya opened the door and bowed, thanking the doctor for his help before closing it. He turned around and took a step back, seeing that he was surrounded by expectant and eager faces.

"Well?" Domon pressed.

"She'll be fine," Tatsuya replied with a heavy sigh. He walked over to the sofas and sat down on one of them. The seats around him were quickly filled while the others stood ready to hear what he had to say. He kept his eyes fixed on the coffee table between the two sofas as he spoke. "The doctor patched up her stitches and said that she just needs to rest and to not do anything too rigorous that'll pull them out again."

"Will she have to go back to hospital?" Sion asked.

He shook his head. "My dad sorted it," he replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He let out another sigh and leaned back, resting against the caramel-coloured leather.

"Did he say anything else?" Kakeru asked.

Tatsuya shook his head. "No, just that she had a temperature, which is understandable considering she opened up her wound. The doctor thinks it might be the start of an infection so he's left some antibiotics for her. But other than that, nothing. Just that she has to rest."

Kakeru nodded and let out a sigh of relief. If she was suffering from a temperature and fighting an infection, then maybe that was why she appeared to be worried about Serperant: she had been delusional. His eyes flickered towards the other Gaorangers and saw that they too wore similar looks of relief. But there was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that he couldn't push away.

"That's good," Sae said. "That's good that she'll be alright."

"Yeah, it is," Domon replied. He leaned back in his seat and Honami moved, resting herself against him, their son sleeping in her arms.

Kai wondered over to the three navigator owls that were still sat on the table next to the computer, the place in which they had been for the past couple of days. He leant over and looked at Jikoku. "What exactly are these?" he asked, starting a new conversation. It was a question that had been bothering him ever since they had encountered the first owl.

Sion smiled as he went over, the Gaorangers also turned so that they were facing the same direction, each of them curious. "They're navigator owls," he informed them. "Every time ship has one. They help us pilot the time ships, making sure we end up in the right place and time. They also contain a vast database on various pieces of information."

Kai nodded. "You said they came with time ships, right?" Sion nodded. "But only two came here. The one carrying you guys, the other Serperant. Where did the third come from?"

At this, Taku's eyes opened, startling Kai, who had thought the three owls were asleep or turned off or whatever it was that the owls did. "I arrived here when the Timerangers first travelled to the past. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their return, I was unable to accompany them. Tatsuya, however, found me and I have been with him ever since."

"What did you do while you were here?" Sotaro asked Taku, joining in with the conversation. "Did you communicate with the future? Can you still do it?"

"I cannot," Taku replied. "I am a navigator owl, not a communicator."

"But you can communicate with others. We were able to talk to you when we were trying to reach you guys," Kai pointed out, gesturing towards the four Timerangers.

"It does not work like that. I cannot communicate with the future."

"Why?"

Taku turned his head towards Kai as if surprised at the question. "I am not programmed to do such," he replied in a matter-of-fact voice.

"What about the other two?" He pointed at Jikoku and Hibiki, both of whom still had their eyes closed.

"They are the same."

Kai let out a sigh. "Shame," he muttered. "It would have been cool to be able to contact the future."

"And that's exactly why they aren't programmed for that," Ayase said, standing up and walking over. "In case they fell into the hands of the Londarz family or someone else who would use them in a way they shouldn't. They're also programmed to give information to specific people only, mainly to those like us who work for the Time Protection Bureau. That's probably why Serperant left Hibiki in the first place. He had no use for him."

At this, Hibiki opened his eyes and looked at Ayase, narrowing them.

Ayase held up his hands. "Sorry, Hibiki, but it's probably true."

The green and silver owl shook its head. "I am still of use," he muttered. "I still know things." He closed his eyes, disgruntled, as Ayase and Sion frowned at him.

"What do you mean by that?" Ayase asked, picking him up.

Hibiki opened his eyes again. "There are things that I know."

"Like what?" Sion asked, curiously.

The conversation had caught the attention of the remaining Gaorangers and Timerangers, all of whom were watching the scene before them. Even Taku and Jikoku were watching their fellow navigator robot.

"What do you know, Hibiki?" Domon questioned, slamming his hands onto the desk in front of Hibiki.

The owl didn't respond. Instead, he blinked once.

"Do you have information on Serperant?" Kakeru asked.

"We've already asked all three of them about him," Sion replied. "They don't have any information on him, except what is on his record."

Kakeru sighed in defeat, but Hibiki continued to stare at him. He noticed this and looked at the little robot. "What?"

Hibiki continued to stare at him and this caught the attention of the others who looked between Kakeru and Hibiki, curious expression on their faces.

"_Do_ you know something?" he inquired again.

"It depends on the question," the owl replied cryptically, continuing to look at him.

"You do know something!" Domon almost roared. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

Hibiki didn't move as he spoke. "You did not ask the right questions or look for the right information. There is information on Serperant in my database that is not attached to his criminal file."

"How do you have this information?" Taku inquired, aghast at the revelation. He turned his head to look at Jikoku. "Do you too have this information?"

Jikoku blinked once. "Yes."

Taku let out a sound that was torn between frustration and annoyance. "Why did you not reveal this information earlier?"

"It is classified," Jikoku replied.

"Classified?" Sion wondered.

"Wait, if those two have information on Serperant, then why don't you?" Sotaro asked, directing his question at Taku.

"Taku had parts of his database erased before we first came to the future," Sion explained. "And since history changed, the new events aren't in his database, which means this information is either new or had already happened but was omitted from his database."

The Gaorangers shook their heads as they tried to process what Sion had just told them. Each of them found the thought of time travel and of time changing very confusing.

"Okay, but if that is the case, that it was something that happened when Taku was in the future," Kai began, shaking his head as he tried to understand what he was saying, "why wasn't the information raised from those two?" He pointed at Hibiki and Jikoku.

Sion shook his head. "I don't know."

"Let's not worry about that at the moment," Domon said. "These two know things about Serperant. Shouldn't we find out what it is?"

"He's right," Tatsuya spoke up, having been silent for the whole conversation. "We need to know what they know."

"They said the information is classified though," Sae said. "How can they tell us?"

Kakeru looked at the navigator owls. _"It depends on the question"_, _that's what Hibiki had said_, he reminded himself. So, maybe they just had to ask the right question. His eyes flickered up and he saw that Hibiki was watching him again. It was if the little robot knew exactly what he was thinking. He could hear talking in the background as the others discussed how to access the information the owls had, but he had an idea of how. _Ask the right question_, he told himself. There was only one question he had on his mind, something that had been praying not only on his, but on the other Gaorangers' minds.

"Is there a connection between Serperant and Yuuri?"

There was a sudden hush of silence as everyone stopped talking to hear either Hibiki or Jikoku reply.

"Yes."


	19. Quest 19

**Quest 19**

The hour was late, the dark, starry sky visible though the window and the room had been filled with a bright yellow light as the Timerangers and Gaorangers listened intensely, their mouths agape in surprise and horror, as Jikoku told them about Serperant's connection to Yuuri, about how he had been her mother's bodyguard until the attack that lead to her and her husband's deaths along with many others. He didn't, however, say anything about what the Londarz family did to him, how Don Dolnero had turned him into the ultimate assassin. It was information he wasn't privy to. By the time he had finished speaking, all of them felt a heavy sense of sadness within them and the room was silent for some time as the information settled in their minds.

"Yuuri-san, she, she never said a word about any of this," Sion said sadly after a while, his face pale.

Ayase nodded dejectedly. "She's lost her parents both times now."

This comment struck interest with the Gaorangers, but none of them dared questioned Ayase's words. Their curiosity was to be kept at bay for now since this latest development was still praying heavily on them.

Shirogane, who was sat on one of the sofas, leaned forward, his fingers interlinked. "Is it possible that she knew any of this?" he wondered. The others looked at him in puzzlement and he continued, "Before she was determined to arrest him but then she got shot and it was only after this that her attitude towards him changed." He looked up at them all. "Is it possible that she forgot about him as a result of the attack in the future, but being shot somehow caused those memories to resurface?"

"It is possible," Ayase replied thoughtfully. "But why didn't she say anything once she knew? Instead of fighting against us, why didn't she say? We could have helped her then."

"But how did Serperant end up with the Londarz family?" Sotaro wondered.

"Maybe he wanted revenge and went to them because Dolnero said he would help," Sion replied, shrugging his shoulders to show he was unsure. With that discussion broke out, everyone curious and having their own opinions about the latest situation, the main question being: what were they going to do next?

Tatsuya sat there, barely listening to the conversations around him. _Was this what she was going to tell me?_ he wondered, thinking back to the conversation they had had, the conversation where they had finally… he shook his head. He couldn't believe what he had been told, but everything now appeared to make sense. He couldn't help but feel the small pang of anger, however, wishing that she had told him earlier, especially the part about her parents. How was he supposed to help her if she wouldn't let him in? He stood up abruptly, startling the others next to him.

"Where are you going?" Domon asked tensely, though he already knew.

"I need to talk to her," he replied, not looking at his friend.

Domon grabbed hold of his arm. "Did you know about any of this?"

He shook his head. "No," he said, harsher then he intended and Domon slackened his grip. "She didn't tell me anything."

Domon was about to reply when his eyes caught something behind Tatsuya and he closed his mouth. Instantly all of the talking in the room stopped and a silence fell over everyone. Curious, Tatsuya turned around as Domon let go of him.

Yuuri was standing next to her bedroom. Her skin was still pale and she was still dressed in the black jogging bottoms and grey top from earlier, the bandage on her side clearly visible. She looked tired but there was a look of sheer nervousness covering her face and at the moment, everyone realised that she knew that they knew. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she struggled to find the right words to say. She was still overcome with disbelief. _How had they found out?_

"Yuuri-san, are you alright?" Sion instantly called.

"How are you feeling?" Sae piped up.

Yuuri didn't reply. Her eyes scanned the room and she saw that each of them wore looks so sympathy, surprise and, the one she hated the most, pity. It was a look that almost angered her. She loathed being pitied above anything else. Her eyes settled on Tatsuya, who had a surprisingly cold expression on his face as he looked at her.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

She almost winced at the harshness of Tatsuya's accusatory tone. "I was going to. I told you I was going to tell you." Her own anger at the situation visible in her tone.

"Were you?"

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance at this as they made contact with his, which wore the same look as her own. "Of course I was going to." She sighed heavily and leaned against the doorframe, her eyes downcast. This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to get into an argument. He wasn't supposed to find out this way. None of them were. "How did you find out?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Jikoku told us," Ayase said, sensing the impending argument brewing between the two. He knew they were both angry at the situation, all of them were, but those two did what they usually did and took their frustrations out on each other.

Yuuri was surprised at that and turned to look at the owl but before she could speak, Sion spoke up, "You said those files were classified," he said in a critical tone to the navigator owl. "How were you able to access them?" He wanted to defend Yuuri. He knew Jikoku shouldn't have told them and he understood why Yuuri would keep it private. She would have told them when she was ready.

Jikoku blinked and turned his head to look at him. "Orders."

"Orders? From who?" Taku questioned.

All eyes were on Jikoku, but the little black and red owl closed his eyes and distinctly turned his head away from them.

"Oi!" Domon slammed his fists on the desk into front of Jikoku but the owl didn't stir. A crying sound emerged from Honami's arms and he let out a groan of frustration, knowing that his outburst had awoken his son.

Ayase placed his hand on Domon's shoulder as Honami hushed her child back to sleep. "Calm down," he said. "That is something _we _need to discuss." He gestured towards the other three Timerangers with a slight inclination of his head.

The Timerangers knew exactly what he was talking about, remembering how Captain Ryuya had kept things hidden from them. They all wondered if it was happening again, but the question was, who? They looked at each other and nodded, knowing that it was a conversation to have away from the Gaorangers. The less they knew about the future and their past as Timerangers, the better. This motion, however, hadn't gone unnoticed by the six Gaorangers.

"But not now," Tatsuya said before any of the Gaorangers could voice any concerns about not being kept in the loop. His eyes caught Yuuri's and she knew that his statement was directed at her, that he wanted to know why she hadn't told him, why she had kept yet another secret from him.

"Tatsuya," she began and his eyes met hers once more, narrowing harshly as he looked at her. She frowned again. He had no right to be angry with her. He wouldn't have been if Jikoku hadn't told them all. She was the one who was supposed to be angry, not him. She was the one who had had her secrets betrayed. "I need to speak to you." She made to go back into her room, but saw that he hadn't moved. She stopped. "Alone," she alliterated before walking into her room.

Tatsuya still didn't move. He felt angry with her even though he knew that he shouldn't be, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't actually angry at her, but at the situation, at the fact that she hadn't had the chance to tell him privately, that her secret had been revealed in front of everyone and now there was the revelation that more information may be kept from him, from them and as a result, all of his rage that was building up, was being directed at her.

Kakeru put his hand on Tatsuya's shoulder. "You should go," he said to him. "Regardless of how you're feeling, she's probably feeling a lot worse. She needs you."

He nodded in response, feeling bad about how he was treating her. She didn't deserve it and he knew it. "I know."

Ayase turned to him. "Then why are you still standing here?" His tone was almost accusatory, but there was a hint of sympathy and understanding behind it.

"What am I supposed to say to her?" His anger had faded, knowing that now wasn't the right time for that emotion to be present.

Ayase sighed. "Why don't you start with apologising and then maybe just listen? Listen to what she has to say, the rest of it will come easy." He gave him a slight push towards her door. "Don't worry, we'll get rid of the Gaorangers," he muttered in his ear so that Kakeru couldn't hear, as he steered the red Timeranger forward. "You'll be fine," he added with a smile, pushing him into Yuuri's room before shutting the door on them. He turned to back to Jikoku. "You've got some explaining to do."

Jikoku didn't move. He remained silent.

G|T

Yuuri was sat at the head of her bed, the sheets in a mess, leaning against her pillow which had been propped up. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her chin sitting on top of them, her brown orbs resting on Tatsuya, who was sat at the bottom of her bed, resting on the edge, his own eyes fixed on her dresser which lay opposite him. The lamp which was sat on the dresser next to a couple of photo frames was on, casting the room and the couple in a dim yellow light. Neither of them spoke. Yuuri opened her mouth momentarily a couple of times but quickly closed it again before he noticed. She wasn't sure what to say to him. What else could she say that he didn't already know? But she was also struggling to find the courage to tell him everything. Hearing it from Jikoku was one thing, but for him to hear it from her and for her to form those words felt almost impossible to her.

Eventually, Tatsuya stood up unexpectedly, his eyes narrowed and for a moment, Yuuri thought that he was going to shout at her, but instead, he walked over to the dresser and picked up a framed photograph. "You kept this?"

She lifted her head off of her knees and turned to look at him. She nodded. "Of course."

In his hand was a photograph of the two of them from the Christmas they had spent together, standing out in the snow. Both of them wearing identical looks of happiness.

"Tatsuya, I –" she began to apologise.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," he cut in, putting the picture back down. He turned around to look at her. "I shouldn't have reacted how I did." He walked the short space across the room to her bed and knelt down on the floor next to her. "I know you were going to tell me. I was just angry. Not at you, but at the situation – your situation – and I took it out on you. I'm sorry." He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Yuuri gave him a small smile in response as she leaned back, resting her head against the wall. "I never knew," she said, her voice soft, "until recently. I never knew." Her mind flickered back to seeing Naoto and her parents and she briefly considered telling him how she found out.

Tatsuya nodded and gave her hand another reassuring squeeze. She smiled gratefully back. "What are you going to do? He's still a criminal. He shot you."

"I know." She ran her free hand though her hair. A thought ran through her mind, how much did he know? He couldn't know everything; he hadn't mentioned what the Londarz family had done to Serperant. "How much do you know?"

He looked at her. "Jikoku told us about how he had been your mother's bodyguard, that there been an attack and your parents had been killed, that you and your sister survived." He leant up and ran his fingertips across her cheek and along her hair, before cupping the side of her face with his hand. "You've lost your parents both times now. I'm so sorry," he added huskily.

Her brown orbs sparkled at his words and she blinked back the threatening tears. He, they, didn't know everything, but she decided that it was information they didn't need to know. To them it would never matter how he began working for the Londarz family, all that mattered was his connection to her. She knew she would have their support now. She leaned forward resting her forehead against his. "Thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes, grateful for his support.

The two stayed like this for a few peaceful moments until Tatsuya pulled back slightly, both of them saddened by the sudden loss of contact. He ran his thumb along her knuckles and she almost shivered from the chill it caused throughout her body. He looked up at her, his hazel eyes meeting her own. "How do you feel?"

How did she feel? Honestly, she had no idea. She felt like she had been on an emotional rollercoaster. Pain, fear, joy, sadness, relief, shock, love, exhaustion, anger. She had felt so many different emotions in such few hours. She was surprised that she was still breathing from everything she had felt. She lightly pressed her hand against her wound, the cause of all of her emotions, and winced. Tatsuya watched her with anxious eyes. "I'm alright," she eventually replied.

He nodded and gave her a small smile. "You need to rest," he told her. "You've been though a lot and you're still recovering." He shook his head as she opened her mouth to reply, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "Just for a little while."

She frowned at him for not letting her speak, but she knew he was right. Even though she wanted to fight, to help them find Serperant and the Orgs, she needed to heal first and the only way she was going to do that was if she rested. "Okay," she said softly. She repositioned herself so that she was lying on her side, her head resting on her pillow, her hand still holding onto his.

Tatsuya stood up. "I'll be right outside if you need anything." He made to move away, his fingers slipping from hers. He stopped, surprised to feel her tighten her grip.

"Stay," she whispered to him, her eyes round and soft. "Just for a while."

Without another thought, he sat back down and gave her hand another squeeze. "Of course."

She smiled at him and mouthed 'thank you' before closing her eyes.

He watched her for a few minutes until she fell asleep. He rested his head on the bed and closed his eyes, his hand still holding onto hers.

G|T

Domon leaned away from the bedroom door where, moments ago, he had been resting the side of his head against the white wood, trying to hear what was going on in the room. "They've been quiet for a while," he commented with a frown, not impressed with this development.

They had given up on trying the question Jikoku for the time being. The little navigator owl had put up a wall of silence and wasn't saying anything. The owl had closed his eyes and despite the insistence of the humans and Taku and Hibiki, who had briefly tried, to prompt him into opening his eyes and speaking, Jikoku remained still and silent. The ten humans had then grown curious about what was being said behind Yuuri's closed door and while Ayase, Honami, Kakeru and Shirogane kept their distance, the others had crowded round, Domon and Kai placing their ears against the wooden door to try and hear what was happening.

Sion looked at him nervously. "You don't think she's killed him, do you? She was pretty angry."

"I highly doubt that." Kakeru placed his hand on the youngster's shoulder reassuringly.

Kai stood up. "I'm going to check." He placed his hand on the door handle, but Honami, grabbed his hand, startling him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she chastised him. "Let them have some peace."

Kai looked at her in confusion, his head tilted to one side. He then looked over at the three Timerangers. "You don't think something's going on between them, do you? I mean they were surprisingly angry with each other and now they're both in there and…" his voice became a hush, "it's gone quiet."

Honami and the three Timerangers didn't respond, though they caught each other's eye with sheepish glances. Each of them knew of Tatsuya and Yuuri's feelings towards each other and they each wished that they would get their act together and admit their feelings to each other. But they also knew how stubborn they were and that it would be a miracle if they actually got together of their own accord.

Sae clasped her hands together and looked up at the ceiling, a dreamy expression on her face. "Wouldn't it be so romantic?" she gushed. The males on her team looked at each in disgust while Honami and the Timerangers wore perplexed looks at the white Gaoranger's sudden outburst. Ignoring the looks, Sae grabbed hold of Shirogane's arm. "Can you imagine it; to be in love but to be torn apart by coming from different times? It's so tragic but so romantic."

The comment about being kept apart because they came from different times caught the attention of all of the Gaorangers, who looked over at the Timerangers, all of whom wore dejected looks. Honami looked at Domon, who took her hand, giving it a small squeeze, knowing that the comment also referred to them, though this hadn't registered with the Gaorangers.

Ayase let out a scoff. "Yeah, romantic. Falling in love and never being able to see each other." He looked at Sae with contempt. "If that's your idea of romantic."

Sae swallowed, her eyes round. "I-I didn't mean it like that," she quickly uttered. "It's just, they get a chance. Now. Before everything changes again. Before she leaves. At least they have a chance."She lowered her head, her face crimson with embarrassment. She hadn't realised the implication of her words. Her hands slipped away from Shirogane's arm. "Sorry," she muttered.

Sotaro looked at her before shaking his head. "There probably isn't even anything going on between them," he said. "I mean, I don't know them that well, but just because they're close and everything doesn't mean anything's going on. She trusts him. He trusts her. It's probably nothing more than that, right?" He directed this at the Timerangers and though the three of them knew that there was more to Tatsuya and Yuuri's relationship then just trust, neither of the two had ever said anything out loud to them. For all they knew, Sotaro might be right.

Honami stepped up. "It has nothing to do with us," she said to them. "It's their personal business."

"Honami-san is right," Sion added. He looked behind him at the closed door. "It's nothing to do with us. I don't want to pry into their relationship."

Ayase walked across the room and stood in front of the window, his arms resting on the window ledge, hearing the others mutter behind him. He looked out at the lightening sky. They had been talking all though the night. He needed to get rid of the Gaorangers and talk about what Jikoku had said without them listening. "It's almost morning," he commented out loud, indicating to the others the time of day.

Kakeru turned to face him. He saw the pale grey-blue sky and realised how long they had been talking. "We haven't spoken to Tetomu for a while, we should check in with her." He took out his G-Phone and was about to flip it open when Domon stopped him.

"Wouldn't it be better to talk to her in person?" he suggested. "You have to go back anyway. You guys need some rest and we haven't got enough room for everyone." He knew what Ayase wanted, but there was no way he was going to tiptoe around them.

"Sure there's room. Sae can sleep in Yuuri's room or the couch and we –" Gaku began, curious as to why they suddenly wanted rid of them.

"No, there isn't," Domon bluntly cut him off, almost snapping at the yellow Gaoranger. Instantly the atmosphere in the room changed. It was as if winter had come early as a deep chill filled the room, the tension rising as the two stared angrily at each other, their eyes narrowed, eyebrows furled.

Ayase turned back around to face the room. "It's better if you guys just head home for the time being. We're not going to get anything done for a while anyway. It's been a long day. Let's all get some rest and we'll meet up later."

Kakeru frowned at him. Like Gaku, he had noticed the Timerangers were suddenly overly determined that they leave. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

"No. I think it best that we go our separate ways for the now," Ayase replied calmly, though he was beginning to get annoyed at their reluctance to leave. "You need to speak to Tetomu, so it makes sense for you to head back there. Speak to her in person and get some rest in your own beds."

Gaku grabbed Kakeru by the shoulder, turning him to face him. "Red," he hissed, "they're hiding something. I don't think we should leave."

Knowing that he was being watched, he gave a curt nod in response before inclining his head at the Timerangers. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said with a warmth he didn't feel. "We'll see you back here in a few hours." He turned to the Gaorangers. "Let's go." He walked over to the door and opened it.

"Red?!" Gaku cried, aghast, neither he nor the other Gaorangers had moved.

"Let's go," Kakeru repeated more firmly.

Shirogane was the first to move. He wasn't going to question Kakeru's motives, not when he had an idea as to what the leader was thinking. Seeing him move stirred the other Gaorangers into action and they followed him out of the door. Gaku was the last to leave. He threw the Timerangers an irate look before following, scowling at Kakeru as he walked past. Kakeru inclined his head briefly to the Timerangers once more before following suite and he closed the door as he left.

Honami, having noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere, instantly turned to Ayase. "What was that about?"

Ayase paused; he didn't want to tell her. Like with the Gaorangers, he didn't want her to know too much about the future.

"We might as well tell her," Domon said, shrugging his shoulders. Whatever was said now concerned her whether the others liked it or not. She may not be a Timeranger or Gaoranger, but she was still a part of the team. She was his girlfriend. She had a right to know what was going on.

Ayase let out a huff. "Fine, but we can't do anything more until Tatsuya and Yuuri are with us."

Honami crossed the room, towards the baby carrier where Mirai was currently sleeping. She leant over a checked on her sleeping son, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. A small smile formed of her face as she watched her son before she straightened up, her expression simultaneously turning serious. She put a hand on her hip. "Well?"

"Sion, turn the lights off. It's getting too bright in here."

The youngest Timeranger rushed across the room, following the blue Timeranger's order and turned the lights off, casting them all in a dull grey light. The change in lighting caused Taku to open his eyes. He blinked and looked around. Both Hibiki and Jikoku kept their eyes closed.

Without waiting for another prompt from Honami, Ayase began speaking. "When we questioned Jikoku about how he knew about Yuuri's past, about how he was able to tell us when Hibiki couldn't, he said it was because he was following orders."

Honami, who still had her hands on her hips, looked at him in puzzlement. She wasn't following. "And?"

"When we were last here, Taku had aspects of his memory erased," he explained and the robotic owl shook his head sadly, still embarrassed by that fact.

"Erased? By who?"

"Captain Ryuya. He was our commanding officer back then. It turned out that he was the one responsible for allowing Don Dolnero to escape to this time and he removed some of Taku's memories to ensure that a 'better' future would happen." The disgust was evident in his voice as he used quotation marks when he said "better".

"He was responsible for everything that happened," Sion added, shaking his head sadly.

Honami stared, her mouth ajar in surprise. "So, what, you think someone else from the future is behind this?"

"There must be and it must be someone from within the Time Protection Bureau," Domon replied. "Again," he then added under his breath.

Honami shook her head, now understanding why they didn't want to inform the Gaorangers of this yet. "I can't believe this. Why would someone do that?"

"Power. To change the future. That's what Ryuya wanted anyway and he still ended up dying," Ayase said bitterly, remembering how he had confronted Ryuya and how the man had died in his arms. "It wouldn't surprise me if whoever is behind this wants the same thing."

Still shaking her head in disbelief, Honami walked over to the sofa and sat down. "I just… wow. I just can't believe someone would release a criminal for their own gain." She turned to face the three males. "But why Serperant? Why him? Because of his connection to Yuuri?"

Domon walked over and sat next to her. "That's what we need to find out. But we're not going to do it without Tatsuya and Yuuri. We'll wait until they're out here before we question Jikoku again and try to put all of this together."

The quartet fell into a frozen silence; each of them consumed with thoughts about what other secrets and information could have been hidden from them.


	20. Quest 20

**Quest 20**

_Darkness._

_That was all he could see._

_Cold._

_That was all he could feel._

_He stumbled along the path, his hands clutching at the stone wall, his fingers clinging onto the grooves as his hands guided him down the path and he could feel the thickness of soil underneath his nails. There was a dampness in the air, clinging to his skin and he could hear the faint dripping of water. Every now and then one of his feet would stumble and splash in a puddle, kicking the water onto his feet._

_He continued walking, his hands and feet guiding the way. He blinked and in a split second, flamed torches adorned the soiled walls, casting the tunnel in a dull, eerie glow. He swallowed, removing his hands from the wall, subconsciously cleaning them on his jacket. A breeze fluttered down the tunnel, causing his boy to shudder as the chill passed though him and he held his jacket tighter against his body._

_He stumbled down the soiled path, the sound of dripping increasing. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Where was he? Where were the other others? What was going on?_

_A blinding white light engulfed him and he felt a coldness course throughout his entire body, chilling him to his bones. A second later, it had gone, only to be replaced by a resounding warmth. He blinked, the white spots disappearing as his vision cleared._

_The sound of running water was clear and he could hear the loud noise of water crashing. His feet felt more wet then before and he looked down, seeing that he was standing in the middle of a small stream. His eyes followed the path of water and saw that it tumbled over the edge of the cliff he was standing on. What was going on? How had he gotten here?_

_The sound of a loud, echoing roar startled him and he jumped in surprise. He looked around, trying to see where, or what, the noise was coming from, taking in the fact that he was surrounded by trees. The roar echoed again, triggering a memory._

"_Gao Lion…" he muttered, his eyes searching the tree line for the magnificent Power Animal. He was about to call again, when he stopped and faced the edge of the cliff._

"_Help!"_

_He raced towards the edge, the direction the cry had come from and threw himself onto his stomach. Cautiously, he crawled until he was teetering on the edge and slowly pushed himself forward._

"_Help!" the feminine voice cried again._

"_Hold on!" he yelled, his hand stretching down, desperately trying to reach the person whom he couldn't see. "Take my hand!"_

_There was another roar and he turned in the direction of the sound. He was about to call for Gao Lion when he felt a weight on his outstretched hand. He gasped, feeling something tug on his hand. Gao Lion roared again and with a yell, he was pulled over the edge._

With a loud yell, Kakeru sat up in bed, sweat pouring profusely off his face. He breathed heavily and with a shaking hand, he pushed his sweat-drenched hair out of his face.

The dreams were still continuing, but none of them had been as vivid as this on. It had actually felt as if something had gripped his hand and pulled him over the edge of the cliff. They still hadn't been able to work out what the dreams meant; if they were prophetic dreams with the Power Animals trying to tell them something or if it was something else.

"Again?" Gaku moaned, telling Kakeru that the others had also awoken.

There was a fumbling sound in the darkness and a moment later a light was switched on, illuminating them all in a bright yellow glow. Sotaro was the one who had turned on the light, while both Kai and Gaku were sat up in their respective beds. The four of them shared a look and they all knew that they had experienced the same dreams once more, albeit with their own Power Animals.

Gaku groaned. "This is getting ridiculous! Why can't the Power Animals just tell us what is going on rather than give us these dreams which end with us probably dying?!"

Kai nodded in agreement. "I miss my own dreams," he said.

Sotaro straightened his night cap. "We're having these dreams for a reason," he said thoughtfully.

Gaku rolled his eyes at the black Gaoranger's comment. "Of course there's a reason! I want to know why we can't just be _told_."

"There must be a reason as to why they can't tell us," Kakeru replied, though he was also wondering the same thing. "Maybe, maybe it's because it's something we have to work out on our own."

Gaku groaned loudly in frustration. He threw his covers off of him and leapt out of bed, storming out of the room.

"Oi, Yellow," Sotaro called after him, "where are you going?"

Gaku didn't respond. The other three looked at each other before following the yellow Gaoranger's actions and they followed him into the main alcove where their comrade was sat at the stone table with Shirogane and Sae, both of whom also appeared tired.

Sae, who had a steaming cup between her hands, looked up at them. "Same dream?"

Kakeru nodded. "Same dream."

The three males joined their comrades at the table. Kai slumped across the table while Gaku leant back, his arms folded and a clear expression of annoyance on his face.

Kakeru looked around the table. "I take no one's got an idea about what these dreams mean then?"

"The Power Animals are forewarning us about an upcoming danger," Shirogane replied matter-of-factly and Gaku groaned, signalling that he was annoyed with the obviousness of Shirogane's statement. The silver Gaoranger frowned at him in return.

"You've got no idea what it could mean then?" Sae asked sadly.

Shirogane shook his head. "I have also spoken to Tetomu as well as my own Power Animals. Tetomu is in the same position as us; she doesn't know what the dreams could mean, while GaoWolf will not tell me."

"The Power Animals know yet they won't tell us?" Sotaro shook his head. "Why wouldn't they tell us?"

"I do not know. But I shall guess that it is because they believe it will upset the natural order. It is something that is to happen in the future and as such, we should not know of it."

Gaku snorted. "That's a load of bull. What are the chances that the Orgs are behind this? It wouldn't surprise me if they already know what's coming."

Sae tilted her head. "How could they know?"

"That girl, Lila. She's from the future isn't she? She probably told them, or Serperant."

"Serperant can't talk."

Gaku looked at her incredulously. "There are other ways to communicate."

Sotaro stood up. "Look, let's not start a fight. We're all tired. Why don't we go back to bed and talk about this in the morning?" He looked imploringly at Kakeru. "Red?"

Kakeru was about to reply when Gaku interrupted, "And what would happen then? We'd all have those stupid dreams again, wake up and argue about it."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Kakeru asked, becoming irritated with the yellow Gaoranger's constant arguing. _Black is right_, he thought. _We all just need some rest and we can discuss once we're more awake._

Gaku shrugged his shoulders. "Ignore them. What's the point in having them if we don't know when this event is going to happen? How are we supposed to prevent it? I say what will be will be. If it's so important then the Power Animals should tell us instead of being cryptic."

"How can you say that?" Sae gasped, voicing what all of them were thinking. They were surprised at his words.

The Soaring Eagle shrugged his shoulders again and looked away from the table. "It's true. What's the point in worrying about these dreams when we know nothing about them? When the time comes, we'll deal with it, like we always do."

Sae, her mouth still agape in surprise looked between Shirogane and Kakeru, waiting for one of them to speak, to refute what Gaku had said. The two, however, remained silent. Both of them, despite their close connections to their Power Animals, thought that Gaku had a point. What was the point in dwelling on prophetic dreams they couldn't decipher?

Seeing that they were all stumped with how to respond, Gaku smiled. "There is something else we should be focusing on instead."

"What's that?" Kai asked sleepily. He had barely been listening to the conversation, but thought that he had better say something to show that he was actually paying attention.

"The Timerangers are hiding things from us again."

The entire table groaned at this reply while Gaku leaned back in his seat, his arms folded against his chest.

"Not this again," Sotaro moaned.

"It's true. You saw how quickly they kicked us out of there. They're hiding something again."

"You know they have their reasons," Shirogane replied, aggravated. He too was beginning to get more then fed up with his attitude. "If they hide things from us then it's more than likely going to be about the future."

"And? What's your point?" Gaku leant forward, resting his arms on the table. "We're supposed to be working together so we should be involved. They shouldn't be hiding things from us. So what we know a little bit about the future. What are we going to do, steal one of the ships that we don't know how to work and go to the future for the fun of it?"

"No. I expect they're worried about what we could change, accidently or not, if we know certain information," Shirogane bit back.

"What about these dreams. They're supposed to be about the future. Surely we're having them so that we can prevent it from happening. I mean we all _die_ in our dreams."

"So this is about the dreams?" Kai asked.

"No, no." Gaku furiously shook his head. "This is about the Timerangers keeping secrets. Red, you agree, right?"

All eyes turned to the leader, who pursed his lips together in thought. "Yellow does have a point," he eventually said and Gaku smiled in satisfaction. "But," he continued, "frustrating as it is, they have a reason. If we're going to work together then we have to trust them."

"Trust them?!" Gaku cried, aghast. "But they don't trust us!"

Kakeru stood up. "I'm not arguing about this anymore. I'm tired and I'm going back to bed." He turned and headed back to the male's sleeping quarters.

Sae sighed heavily. "What's it going to take to get though to you?" she snapped at Gaku, startling the blond haired male, as well as the rest of the room, since it was a rarity that the female would get angry. "You wonder why they keep things from us, yet you're probably the reason why. Why would they share information with us if they think we don't trust them?" She stood up, shaking her head. "Red is right. There's point in arguing about this." She then turned and walked away from the table, taking her cup of drink with her, still shaking her head sadly as she disappeared towards her room.

Gaku, looking aghast, turned the others. "Silver, Blue, Black," he implored, looking at each of them in turn.

Shirogane shook his head. "I may agree with you, but you shouldn't let your mistrust and fears cloud your mind. Red is right. There will be a reason as to why certain things are kept hidden." He left the room, walking into another part of Gao's Rock.

"Dude, you really do need to let it go," Kai said, clasping Gaku's shoulder before he and Sotaro followed suite and departed back into their sleeping quarters.

Gaku sighed heavily. He didn't understand why the others weren't bothered. They hadn't kept anything secret from the Timerangers, so why was it acceptable for them not to trust them with their secrets of the future? They were good at keeping secrets, after all they were Gaorangers. They had given up their lives to protect the world from the Orgs. Each of them had sacrificed their lives and were now hidden until the Orgs were defeated, not allowed to tell anyone who they really were. How were they not trustworthy?

A light splashing sound could be heard coming from the shrine as Tetomu appeared. She yawned, stretching her hands above her head. "Ah, Yellow," she said tiredly as her eyes settled on him. "What are you doing up?"

He looked over at her. "We had those dreams again."

She nodded knowingly in response. "But where are the others?" She looked around for them, surprised that he was alone.

"Gone back to bed." His reply was short. He really didn't feel like talking anymore.

"Oh?" She walked over to the table as he placed his head against the cool stone. She frowned at this action. "What happened?"

He closed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

She frowned even more. "You know what I mean, Yellow. Why are you out here by yourself?" She studied his posture and appearance. He looked like someone who had been defeated. "Did you have a disagreement?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Stop answering my question with another question."

"Why?"

Tetomu let out a noise that sounded between a sigh and groan as she sat next to him, placing her hands on her knees. "I cannot help if you don't tell me what is going on."

Gaku sighed. Maybe talking to Tetomu wouldn't be a bad thing, maybe she could help? "What would you do if someone was keeping secrets from you?"

Tetomu thought for a moment. "I'm sure I would understand that these secrets would be being kept from me for a reason." She looked at him. "Why do you ask?"

"The Timerangers are hiding things from us again," he explained. "The others, they seem okay with it, but I'm not. We're supposed to be working together, right, so why are they keeping things from us, again?"

She nodded knowingly. "I see."

Gaku also nodded. "Surely you can see my side," he implored.

"I can," she replied, "however you must understand that the Timerangers are from the future. The information they are not sharing will more than likely be about that. They can't divulge information that could result in history being changed."

"I get that, but who are we going to tell? We've given up a lot to be Gaorangers, so we can keep secrets."

"I'm not saying that you can't, but the Timerangers will not share information that could possibly result in the future being changed. They will have been trained and ordered not to give away too much information."

"I know that," Gaku huffed. Though Tetomu wasn't chastising him, she still made him feel embarrassed and stupid for how he had been reacting. He understood what the Priestess was saying and he even agreed with her, but what he couldn't grasp was why no one else thought that it wasn't right that the Timerangers weren't sharing everything they knew.

Sensing his inner distress, Tetomu placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have to understand Yellow," she said to him, "the Timerangers know things that we cannot know or begin to comprehend. They are not from our time. What they know, if they tell us, may have repercussions that we cannot fathom." She let out a sigh. "I understand your words and your distress, but there are some things that we just cannot know." She stood up, her dressing sweeping across her toes. "Do not let these things trouble your mind. There are much more precious things at stake."

Gaku stood up alongside her. "I know," he sighed heavily in defeat. No one was going to support him in this and Tetomu's words had made him understand the Timerangers' motives more clearly and though he didn't agree with them keeping secrets, he had to relent. "Thank you, Tetomu."

Tetomu smiled, tilting her head to one side. Though she knew that it was almost impossible to change the yellow Gaoranger's mind once he was set on something, she could sense that he had come to an understanding about their actions. "You're welcome."

G|T

"How could this have happened?!" Lila seethed, walking to and fro across the dark floor of the Matrix, her heels clicking loudly against the stone. Every so often, her eyes would flicker to the corner where Serperant was sat in the heap under the statue of, in her opinion, a disgusting looking creature with its tongue sticking out like a grotesque mask. "Dolnero taught you better than this. What were you thinking?!"

Serperant hissed at her, blood oozing from his mouth. He was hunched over, much on his body covered in a gooey substance that Tsue Tsue was adamant healed wounds.

Lila rolled her eyes. "You don't know? How could you not know?" Her voice was loud and shrill, echoing off of the walls. Serperant hissed again and she let out a shrill scream of anger, throwing her arms up in frustration.

On the opposite side of the cavern, watching the two Londarz family members in confusion, were Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba. The clown-like Duke Org turned to his companion, tilting his head. "Eh? What are he's saying? What's going on?"

The Org Priestess pursed her lips beneath the veil covering her mouth. "I don't know."

They watched as Lila continued to pace, stopping every now and then to snap something at Serperant, who would hiss back in response. The two were bored, but Ura had disappeared, leaving them to watch their guests.

"What is taking Ura-sama so long?" Yabaiba moaned to his companion.

"I don't know, but I hope he hurries up. This is boring."

Lila's head snapped around in their direction. As well as listening to Serperant's continued hisses, she had also heard the two Org's complaining and she was fed up with it. How she longed for Dolnero and even Gein to be alive once more. They would have sorted out this whole situation in no time at all. She was about to retort back at the two, to tell them that rather than just sitting around and whinging, if they actually got up and did something, then they wouldn't be bored anymore, but the thunderous sound of footsteps echoing off the cavern walls stopped her and Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue leapt to their feet.

Ura appeared, his golden cloak swishing behind him, a gleaming look of happiness in his eyes. He stopped in the middle of the room, the smoke billowing around his feet and let out a loud girlish laugh.

Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba looked at each other, tilting their heads to one side at the same time, showing their confusion. Lila folded her arms across her chest and took a step forward, the same look of puzzlement on her face while Seperant turned his head in the Highness Org's direction.

"Eh, Ura-sama?" Tsue Tsue began tentatively.

Ura clapped his hands together happily and let out another high pitched laugh, ignoring the other four in the cavern. He leaned back as he continued to laugh.

The two Duke Org's shared another confused look.

"Uh, Ura-sama?" Tsue Tsue began again. "Are you alright?"

Ura laughed once more before turning to his fellow Orgs. "It's done."

"What's done?" Yabaiba asked, shooting Tsue Tsue a torn look of bewilderment and worry.

Ura's black eyes gleamed brightly. "You'll see," he informed them, his happiness clearly visible through his tone.

Lila, her arms still folded, tapped her foot against the stone floor in annoyance. "You're not going to tell us what's going on?"

Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue gasped.

"You can't talk to Ura-sama like that!" the female Org cried, aghast.

Lila shot her a look. "I can talk to him however I want," she snapped back. "We should be informed of his plans. It's more than likely Serperant will be involved in some way and I want to know what. Anyway," she added, turning to the two Duke Orgs, "it's more than likely that it'll be your lives on the line rather than his. Don't you want to know what you'll be sacrificing yourselves for?" A smug smile appeared on her lips.

The two Org's looked at each other, their mouths open in thought as they took in Lila's words. They open and closed their mouths a couple of times, looking like beached fish, as they realised that she was right: Ura would willingly sacrifice their lives without a second thought. But he was their master. They did his bidding and if it resulted in the defeat and deaths of the Gaorangers, then who were they to complain. They were about to tell her this, when Ura cleared his throat.

"All in good time," he said. "All in good time." He laughed once more before turning and leaving the cavern, leaving behind four bewildered beings.

Yabaiba turned to Tsue Tsue. "What was all that about?"

From his position in the corner, Serperant hissed, his tongue flickering. _Interesting_, he thought_. Very interesting_.

G|T

The sun was at its peak against the cloudless blue sky. The sound of birds singing to each other could be heard across the green hillside, accompanied by the soft tune of a flute.

Sitting against a tree positioned halfway up the slope, Shirogane lowered his flute from his lips, sighing as he looked up at the sky through the tree's branches. Usually playing his flute would help him to clear his mind, but it wasn't working. It hadn't been working for a while now. He could feel a black weight on his heart that wouldn't move. It had started the same time as the dreams and he wondered if it was his body's way of telling him that something was coming. The same way that the Power Animals were trying to warn them.

He shook his head. His mind was consumed with thoughts about the dream he shared with the others. Something didn't feel right about it. Even though he knew, and Tetomu had said, that the dreams were due to the Power Animals, he still had a niggling feeling deep down that there was something more going on. The dreams had started around about the same time as when Serperant and the Timerangers showed up and he didn't think that it was a coincidence. They were connected somehow. Yes, it was something that they had discussed before, but it still unsettled him. What were the Power Animals warning them about?

It wasn't just that that unsettled him. He also wondered about the Timerangers and Serperant, the Londarz member specifically. How were they supposed to defeat a creature that could anticipate their attacks? Their surprise attack had worked, once, but he doubted that it would work again and then there was the situation with Yuuri… He shook his head. It was too much for him to think about. It was too much for all of them. Tempers were already flaring and had been for a while. He hoped that once everyone, Yellow in particular, had calmed down and were thinking rationally about everything, then they would be able work on an effective plan.

"Silver?"

The sound of Sae's voice startled him and he quickly leapt to his feet, putting his flute in his pocket. He turned to see the only female Gaoranger walk up the slope towards him. "Is everything alright?" he asked her, curious as to why she had disturbed him.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was just out walking to clear my head," she explained. "I saw you sitting up here by yourself, so I thought I'd join you." She lowered her head, diverting her gaze as a slight blush spread across her cheeks. "If you don't mind," she added in a mumbled voice.

Shirogane frowned. He preferred to be on his own. He still wasn't completely comfortable around the others, though they had repeatedly told them that they didn't blame him for what happened while he was Loki, but he couldn't help it. He was used to being on his own.

Sae's eyes flickered up and she bit her lower lip, seeing that he was frowning. She instantly regretted her decision to come over to him. "I'm sorry," she muttered, her eyes flicking back to look at the grass. "I'll leave you." She began to turn around, feeling incredibly embarrassed and stupid.

"No, wait." Shirogane surprised even himself as he addressed her. He knew that she hadn't meant to disturb him and he decided that it might be nice to spend some time in the company of another.

A bright smile appeared on the white Gaoranger's face. She had always liked Shirogane, especially once she had gotten to know him. He was a mysterious, handsome person and though she knew that he never looked at her the way she looked at him, she couldn't stop but try and help him in any way that she could. She nodded, still beaming and sat on the grass against the tree, hugging her knees.

Shirogane resisted the urge to frown at her eagerness, but then he reminded himself that that was the type of person she was. He sat down next to her, lifting his head to look up at the sky.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him. He was such a secretive person and she longed that one day he would open up to her, to any of them, but she knew that the chances of that were slim. It wasn't who he was. In a strange way, he reminded her of the Timerangers, their reluctance to work with them and how they continued to keep secrets. She voiced this to him and he looked at her in surprise.

"The Timerangers are different from me," he told her after he had thought about it for a few minutes.

Sae shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied. "You both chose not to work with us because of trust issues."

He looked across the horizon, at the green hills. She did have a point, he realised. When they had been trying to get him to work with them, he wouldn't because of what he had done and because he couldn't trust himself around them. The Timerangers wouldn't work with them because they didn't trust them to keep their secrets.

"The only way we can defeat the Orgs and save Serperant is if we put our differences aside and trust each other. We all have skills and knowledge necessary to win this fight, we just have to work together to do so." She turned her head to look at him. "Before she got shot, Yuuri was changing her mind. Once she's agreed to work with us, the others will too. I'm sure of it."

"Yuuri is a strong-minded individual," he commented.

Sae nodded her head furiously. "Red took her to see the Power Animals, the biggest thing that we keep hidden. That's proof that we trust them and we know some of their secrets. We all just need to put aside our differences."

Shirogane turned his head, looking down at her. "There are a lot of strong-minded people we need to convince."

She shook her head. "Just Yellow and Domon really now Yuuri's agreed to work with us. Yellow should be fine. He's just being fussy."

He let out a snort. That was true. Yellow always had to be picky.

"You know I'm right about all of this," she continued. "We all need to work together." She leapt to her feet. "Come on."

As she darted down the hill back to Gao's Rock, Shirogane stood up and took his flute out of his pocket. As he looked at it, he felt a heaviness on his heart. Something just didn't feel right.


	21. Quest 21

**Quest 21**

The midmorning Spring sun shone through the open curtains, illuminating the room. The bright light rested on Tatsuya's face, making him move his head from side to side slightly as he slowly woke up. With a groan, he lifted his head and cricked his neck. He opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He was still crouched on the floor of Yuuri's bedroom, using the edge of her bed for a pillow. However, he was the only person in the room. The bed was unmade, but he was alone. He stumbled to his feet, knowing that she was probably just on the other side of the door, but he felt guilty with the fact that he had been asleep the entire time.

He stumbled across the room, wiping the sleep from his eyes and opened the bedroom door, stepping into the main area of the flat. It was even brighter in here than in the bedroom.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty's finally awake," Domon commented with a smirk.

"What?" Tatsuya blinked a couple of times, allowing his eyesight to adapt and looked around. Everyone was awake. Domon and Honami were at on the sofas, while Sion was sat at the computer and he could hear Ayase in the kitchen. Everyone was there except for Yuuri.

"She's in the bathroom," Honami told him, indicating towards the closed bathroom door, correcting telling what he wanted to know.

Tatsuya nodded in response and walked across the room to sit with the couple. He sank back in his seat, opposite Domon and Honami. Sion, who had been focused intently on the computer, realised that Tatsuya had joined them and stood up, walked across the room and sat himself down next to the red Timeranger.

"So how did it go last night?" Domon asked, giving him a wink, which went unnoticed by him but not by Honami who elbowed him in the side, shooting him and indignant look. Domon looked at her in mock surprise, but she continued to frown at him.

"We came to an understanding," Tatsuya replied, looking up at the ceiling.

"You shouldn't be too hard on her, Tatsuya-san," Sion said to him. "I know she would have told you eventually."

The red Timeranger shook his head. "I know that. I was just surprised, but we sorted it out and I'm not angry anymore, well, not at her."

"Uh huh. I'm sure you 'sorted it out'." Domon laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at Tatsuya. "Ow!" he groaned as Honami elbowed him in his side, giving him a disapproving look. "What?!"

Honami let out a frustrated sigh as she rolled her eyes at him. "Ignore him, Tatsuya," she said with a smile.

Tatsuya let out a laugh as he shook his head. "It's alright. I'm used to him saying stupid things like that."

"Hey!" Domon cried in mock angst. "I resent that."

Sion walked over and stood behind the sofa, leaning forward over the back of it. "Why? It's true." He smiled broadly.

Domon crossed his arms against his chest. "Not you too," he huffed.

Honami clutched his arm. "Aww, we're sorry," she said, though she was unable to keep the smile from her face.

"You're just saying that." He pouted and Tatsuya and Sion laughed even more.

There was a knocking sound coming from the other side of the bathroom door and Honami quickly leapt to her feet. "Sorry boys, but I have to go and help Yuuri now." She knocked on the bathroom door once before entering once it had been unlocked. The door quickly closed behind her.

Instantly, Domon rounded on Tatsuya. "Now that she's gone, just between us guys, what really went on last night?"

Tatsuya frowned. "Like I said: nothing. We talked. That's it."

"Really? You just talked?" He sounded bitterly disappointed.

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"

"Oh come on, are you telling me that you still haven't, you know?" He waved his hands about, nearly hitting Sion in the face but the youngster moved out of the way just in time.

"What?" Though he had a pretty good idea as to what Domon was implying, he and Yuuri had yet to discuss what they were going to tell the others and when. He didn't want to reveal details of their relationship when he still wasn't too sure what exactly was going on. What was the point in being together if she was going to leave again once this case was all wrapped up?

"You spent the entire night in her bedroom and nothing happened?"

"Don't make him spell it out," Sion moaned to the red Timeranger.

Tatsuya let out a sigh. "Look, if there is something going on with me and Yuuri, and I'm saying _if_, then it's our business." He turned to Domon. "And don't let Yuuri hear that you've been snooping for information. She may be recovering but that doesn't mean she won't beat you down."

The yellow Timeranger let out a snort. "I'd like to see her try."

"Like to see who try what?" The bathroom door had opened to reveal Honami who has half supporting Yuuri, both of them wearing curious looks.

Yuuri's eyes flickered over to Tatsuya for the briefest of seconds. "What were you saying Domon?"

"I-uh-I… never mind," he mumbled, pushing himself as far back into his seat as he could, diverting his eyes away from the two girls as a disgruntled look formed on his face.

Honami helped Yuuri into the seat next to Tatsuya. "I'll go and get you some breakfast," she said before casting Domon a warning look and disappeared into the kitchen.

Sion walked around the sofa, sitting down in Honami's vacant seat. "How are you this morning, Yuuri-san?"

Yuuri pushed a hand through her damp hair. She was dressed in a pair of long jogging bottoms and an oversized zipped hooded jumper. "Better, thank you," she replied. "I'm glad to be out of the hospital." The corners of her lips turned up slightly as she gave them a small smile.

"We're sorry about your parents, you know," Domon told her sincerely. "To lose them once must have been tough, but twice…" He shook his head. "I can't imagine."

There was a silence in the air. They had agreed not to mention Yuuri's parents to her because of how they had found out and because it was something they knew she more than likely wouldn't want to discuss, but Domon had brought up the subject and they had no idea as to how she was going to respond. All eyes turned to Yuuri, who kept her own focused on the back of her hand which was on her lap, waiting for her reaction. Tatsuya shot the yellow Timeranger an annoyed look. Domon realised what he had said and opened his mouth to apologise, but Yuuri spoke, stopping him.

"Thank you." The words were quiet, barely above a whisper but in the silence of the room, they heard her words clearly.

"Yuuri, I'm sorry," Domon began, but she shook her head.

"It doesn't matter." Her voice was almost void of emotion. "It's in the past, right. No point dwelling on it." She stood up quickly, but the action made her wince and she clutched her wounded side. "Tell Honami I'm not hungry." She took quick but careful steps back to her room, closing the door behind her.

"Domon-san!" Sion smacked his friend's arm.

"I didn't mean anything by it," he replied glumly. "I just wanted her to know how sorry I – we all were."

Tatsuya shook his head in disappointment. "You know what Yuuri's like when it comes to her family. You shouldn't have said anything."

Sion patted Domon's shoulder. "We know, Domon-san. But it wasn't the right time." He leaned back in his seat with a sigh, looking at Yuuri's closed door.

The sound of footsteps came from the kitchen and Honami emerged, carrying two steaming mugs with Ayase behind her. Seeing the three males sat alone on the sofas, Honami instantly froze, a frown forming on her lips. "Where's Yuuri?"

Tatsuya and Sion directed their gazes at Domon who look at the floor. Ayase rolled his eyes while Honami let out a heavy sigh and the two walked across the room, setting the cups down on the table in-between the two sofas.

"What did you do?"

Domon remained silent and the frown on Honami's face increased.

"He brought up about Yuuri-san's family," Sion explained, looking at the two who were still standing. "He said that he was sorry about what happened, but, well, she got upset and…" He inclined his head towards the shut bedroom door.

Honami let out another sigh and put her hands on her hips, towering over Domon who, seeing the look on her face, sunk back as far as he could into his seat. "Don't you think you'd better apologise?"

Though he knew she was right, he didn't think that he should, after all, all he told her was the truth. Why should he have to apologise for that? He voiced this out loud and was met with a slap on the back on his head from Ayase.

"That's not the point," Ayase said and Domon could sense the blue Timeranger rolling his eyes behind him.

"Just say sorry, Domon-san," Sion pleaded, looking at the elder with round eyes.

"Fine," he huffed, knowing that he wasn't going to win. He stood up and made to head towards Yuuri's room when he stopped and turned to Tatsuya. "How mad will she be?"

Tatsuya shrugged his shoulders. "She'll be angry, but not at you. Don't be surprised if she takes it out on you though. She's in a pretty rough place at the moment."

"You're telling me," Domon muttered to himself before steadying himself to approach the bedroom, sensing four pairs of eyes on him. He stood in front of door and cleared his throat before knocking. There was no response, so he knocked again. Yuuri still didn't respond and he turned to the others who were now all sat on the sofas, watching. He shrugged his shoulders, wondering what he should do, when the door opened.

Yuuri's narrowed eyes looked up at him, expectantly. "What?"

Domon swallowed. Even though Yuuri was considerably smaller than him, the intense look she was giving him made him slightly fearful. Apart from Honami, Yuuri was the only other woman who had the power to terrify him. "I-uh-I…" he trailed off and the pink Timeranger's eyebrows rose in impatience. "I-uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm not sorry for saying it, cos it's true, but I'm sorry for saying it when I did." She didn't reply and it made him panic, thinking that he was supposed to say more so he quickly added, "Okay? That's it."

Yuuri still didn't reply, though she kept her eyes fixed on Domon. "Thank you," she eventually replied.

"You know," Domon began and the other four inwardly groaned, sensing that he was about to dig himself into the hole he had already dug, "you can talk to us, any of us."

Her eyes narrowed once more and the yellow Timeranger instantly flinched. "I know." Her tone was almost emotionless and without another word, she closed the door in his face.

Domon turned to see the others all shaking their heads at him. He held up his hands in defence. "I know, I know." He walked over to them and sat back down between Sion and Honami.

"If you know, then why say it?" Ayase asked, clearly annoyed.

Domon shrugged his shoulders. "You know what I'm like. You should have stopped me."

Ayase leaned back, his arms folded against his chest, a thin, smug smile appearing on his lips. "Why? When it's so much more fun to watch you squirm."

Domon turned to Tatsuya, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Back me up here."

Tatsuya stood up and headed towards the boys' room. "I think I'll stay out of this. Me and Yuuri are in a good place at the moment. I'm not going to say anything that'll get me back in her bad books." He gave a little shiver. "That's not a good place to be." He then entered the boys' room, closing the door behind him.

Domon groaned. He hated being in Yuuri's bad books.

G|T

It was almost late afternoon, the sun turning the sky crimson, before Yuuri appeared again. She felt more relaxed and awake then she had done and though the pain in her side throbbed uncontrollably, she was able to move about with relative ease. Feeling considerably better, she had decided to see the others and try to make plans in regards to Lila, Serperant and the Orgs. The main room was deserted as she entered, except for Sion, who was typing away at the computer, the three navigator owls situated on the table around him. Her presence went unnoticed until she was stood directly behind him.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

Sion, who hadn't realised she was behind him, jumped. "Argh! Yuuri-san?" He turned around and she tilted her head to the side, waiting for a reply. "Where is everyone? They, um…" He racked his brain, trying to remember where everyone was. "Domon-san and Honami-san have gone to see the baby who is at Honami-san's parents' house, Ayase-san went out for a run and Tatsuya-san is on the roof." He looked at her. "Are you alright?"

Yuuri, who was biting her lower lip, looking thoughtful about something, shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she told the blue-haired youngster with a small smile. "What are you working on?"

Sion let out a sigh. "I'm trying to find any information about who is orchestrating all of this."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Orchestrated?"

Sion nodded. "Only Jikoku knew about you and Serperant and that information was restricted, though he still told us. It got us thinking. Why would Hibiki's memory of that information be erased? And after discussing it, we realised that someone from the future did it deliberately. They were trying to hide the information about Seperant."

Yuuri's eyes rounded in surprise. It reminded her of Ryuya and what he had done. Could someone from the future have done this? Pushing the thought away, she nodded. "Have you found anything?"

Sion shook his head. "I have no idea where to start looking." He let out another sigh. "I'm sorry, Yuuri-san."

"Don't be." She shook her own head in response. "But you suspect it to be someone within the Bureau?"

The green Timeranger nodded. "No one else would be able to erase data or command the navigator owls from revealing information." He looked back at the screen. "There's no one else that it could be."

Yuuri leaned over his shoulder, peering at the screen which had a roster list up. "You have no idea who it could be?"

"None. I've been looking at who had access to the navigator owls and when, but I highly doubt that it will help. The information could have accessed at any time and the person would had to have known which owls to access."

"But how would they know that Seperant was going to escape and what Time Ships were going to be used? Unless…" Yuuri paused, deep in thought.

"Yuuri-san?"

"Unless they already knew."

Sion turned around, startled. "But how would they have known?"

Yuuri gave him a pointed look and his expression changed into one of utter shock. He shook his head.

"No, no way."

"I know it's a wild assumption, but think about it. How else could they have known?"

He looked back at the screen before looking at her again. "You're saying that whoever did this is from the future?"

She nodded. "Or they just travelled between the two times. There's no other explanation." She suddenly let out a groan, clutching the back of Sion's chair as she felt her blood drain and her knees felt incredibly weak.

"Yuuri-san!" Sion cried.

The elder shook her head, her dark hair flying across her face. "I've been on my feet for too long, that's all." She grimaced and her grip on the chair tightened.

The youngest Timeranger leapt to his feet. "You should have said something." His voice was full of panic as he helped her into his chair. He then quickly rushed into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water which he handed to Yuuri.

She cast him a look, her eyebrows as she looked at him questionably. "Thank you," she said to him, taking a sip from the glass before turning back to the screen, looking at it thoughtfully. "But who could it be? Who would do that?" She spoke more to herself than to Sion and a frown appeared on her lips.

"It must be somebody high up," Sion replied.

Yuuri turned back to him, looking at him in surprise.

"For them to be able to go between times without any documentation and to access the navigator owls, it has to be someone no one would question."

Yuuri looked back at the screen. "You've checked the Time Ship logs?"

The youngster nodded. "I wanted to see if there were any irregularities, but I couldn't see anything. Whoever has done this knew how to cover their tracks."

Yuuri nodded in agreement. "Ryuya did the same. He kept what he was doing hidden from everyone until the time was right for him. He had everything planned."

"But he still died. He couldn't change the future." A smile appeared on Sion's lips. "That means their plan might still fail. We know something's going on back in the future and we can prevent it."

"But we don't know what." She turned around. "This is good. We've finally gotten somewhere."

"But what do we do now?"

She turned back to face the computer, sitting back in the chair with a sigh. "I don't know. But we need to get Serperant on our side. If we can get him to remember me, then maybe we have a chance. He might know." Her voice broke slightly as she mentioned Serperant, remembering what the criminal (_No, he's not a criminal, _she reminded herself) had done and what Naoto had told her.

Sion noticed the break in her voice as she spoke, but thought best to ignore it. She wouldn't want to talk about it, not to him at least. The youngster wanted to know more about her relationship with Serperant, but knew better than to ask and he doubted whether or not she really knew, or remembered, but for her to have such faith and trust in someone, he knew that he was important to her. "He must mean a lot to you." Despite his thoughts, the words were out of his mouth before he even realised it and it took her a moment to realise that he had spoken as well. He let out a groan of frustration, mentally kicking himself.

"He does." She didn't turn around and her voice sounded hollow, as if she was a long way away. "He was my best friend. He would do anything to protect my family."

"Yuuri-san, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

Still not turning around, she shook her head. "It's alright. I have to do this Sion. If he knew, he would do the same for me. He protected me and Mei all those years ago. I have to do the same for him."

His hand jerked and twitched, unsure of what to do. It was clear that the lead Timeranger needed some comfort, but he wasn't sure if he was the right person. He wasn't used to doing this sort of thing. He shook his head. It wasn't about him. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she jumped slightly from the touch. "I'll help you," he said to her with a small smile.

"Thank you."

He nodded. "But what about the others?" He knew Tatsuya and Ayase would more than likely help, but he wasn't sure about Domon. He could be as stubborn as Yuuri when he wanted to be.

She turned in her seat. "Don't worry about them." She gave him a small smile, her brown eyes sparkling.

He was about to reply, to voice his concerns about Domon, when the front door of the apartment opened and they both quickly turned around as Tatsuya walked through the door. A smile formed on the lips of the red Timeranger, seeing that Yuuri was awake and looking a lot better than she had done.

Sion looked between the two, at the silence between them though he noticed how they eyes were fixed solely on each other. He turned to Yuuri, noticing that the corners of her lips were twitching as though she were trying to stop herself from smiling, though her eyes clearly conveyed a look of happiness. He looked back at Tatsuya, who was smiling broadly at her. The youngster frowned. There was something going on between the two of them, more than they were letting on.

"I'm glad to see you up and about," Tatsuya said to her, still smiling.

She nodded in response. "I'm feeling a bit better."

Sion cleared his throat loudly, reminding the two of his presence. He couldn't help but smile seeing the two suddenly blush and turn away from each other.

Tatsuya cleared his throat in embarrassment, turning away as he did so. He looked back up, noticing that the two were sat in front of the computer. "What have you two been doing?" He walked over towards them.

"We think that someone within the Time Protection Bureau might be behind all of this," Sion explained. He looked over his shoulder at the red Timeranger. "Someone high up as well."

"What makes you say that?"

"No one else would be able to access the navigator owls with documentation," Yuuri explained, still looking at the computer. She pointed at the list still on the screen. "This is a list of everyone who has access to the navigator owls. Whoever is behind it is either on this list, or they didn't need – or want – it documented that they had accessed the room." She lowered her finger.

Sion nodded. "We also think that whoever it is also travelled to the future so they knew which Time Ships would be taken and therefore was able to mess up the right robots."

Tatsuya nodded. He was surprised that the two had been able to come up with all of that in a short space of time. "What do we do now? How are we supposed to know who is behind all of this?"

Yuuri turned around in her seat to look at Sion. The two looked at each other for a moment until the blue-haired youngster turned to the elder male. "Ah, see the thing is," he began, stumbling over his words.

Tatsuya frowned. He was getting the impression that whatever it was wasn't going to be good, especially if Sion appeared nervous about discussing it.

Yuuri rolled her eyes. "We need Serperant."

"Serperant?" Though he wasn't surprised to hear his name mentioned, he was still curious as to why.

She nodded. "He might know. He's the only one in this time period who could have an idea about who it is."

"And how do you plan on doing that? He's with the Orgs, remember." He hadn't meant the words to come out as condescending as they sounded and he was about to apologise, but Yuuri ignore the tone.

"If he can remember his past then we might have a chance."

"He's a member of the Londarz family and he's with Lila and the Orgs, I highly doubt they'll let him remember."

"I know but I – we – have to try." She stood up. "He saved me and my sister. I need to return the favour. He's not a criminal and I intend to bring him back." Her expression was stony and her eyes were set with determination and the two males knew that there was no way they would be able to change her mind.

"You're sure about this. You're sure he'll remember?"

She nodded. "He will."

"It's risky though," Sion muttered, looking between the two.

"Everything we do is risky," Tatsuya commented. "It's part of our job right?" He looked past Sion, at Yuuri. "We can do it."

She gave him a nod. "Thank you."

"Where should we start? Do we wait for him to surface or do we look for him?" Sion wondered, looking between the two leaders.

"We have no idea where the Orgs are. I suggest we wait until they surface and try and remind Serperant of who he really is then," Tatsuya replied. "Do you know how you're going to get Serperant to remember yet?" He addressed the question to Yuuri.

"I don't know," she replied with a sigh. "I guess it'll come to mind at the time."

Tatsuya nodded in response. "I hope so. I hope this works."

With a heavy sigh, her eyes downcast, Yuuri muttered, "Me too."


	22. Quest 22

**A/N: It's been a while since I've done one of these...**

**Anyway, since today this story is a year old, I thought I'd celebrate by uploading the latest chapter. This is the longest I've worked on a story without a proper hiatus and, to date, is my longest in terms of chapters and words. Also, I'm going to slowly start wrapping this story up now.**

**And yes, new pen-name. New year, new change.**

**So, enjoy...**

* * *

><p><strong>Quest 22<strong>

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sae bit her lower lips nervously as she followed Gaku through the city streets, the rest of the Gaorangers behind them. She tugged on the sleeve on her black and white jacket.

The sun was high in the sky, clear against the cloudless sky, filling the city with warmth. The Gaorangers had decided to head out and see the Timerangers for another attempt at trying to persuade them that they should all work together. They were all hoping that this time they would be successful without anything being said that shouldn't. Not only that, but they were also hoping to check up on how Yuuri was doing and to find out any information that would help them fight the escaped Londarz family members and the Orgs.

"Of course," Gaku replied, not looking back at her. "We need to sort out a plan of action."

"He's right," Kakeru added, calling out from near the back, clearly hearing every word of the conversation in front of him. "The Timerangers are going to want and try and get Serperant's memory back and we need to help them."

Gaku cast Sae a smug, satisfied smile over his shoulder, resisting the urge to say 'See'. She rolled her eyes in response, folding her arms against her chest.

"Hopefully they'll share whatever information they know with us," Sotaro said. "We'll need to know as much as we can if we're to help."

"I'm sure they'll tell us what we need to know," Kakeru replied reassuringly.

"But do you think this is a good idea? All of us going to see them?" Kai asked. "Remember what happened last time? Someone said some things they shouldn't." He cast a look in Gaku's direction, but the Noble Eagle looked determinedly forward.

"I'll do the talking," Kakeru replied, though he (and the rest of the group) hoped that Gaku wouldn't say or do anything that would ruin any chances of them all working together.

"Hey!" Gaku could sense the unease from the others and knew that it was due to them being unsure as to what he could say. "I'm totally fine with them keeping secrets now. I had a talk with Tetomu and I understand now." He stopped walking and turned to face them, a look of certainty on his face.

"Really?" Kai responded, not looking convinced.

Gaku cast a look at his teammates and frowned. None of them looked convinced at his words. "Seriously," he replied, determination biting his words.

Kai let out a scoff. "I'll believe it when I see it." The young Gaoranger walked past him, an unsatisfied look on his face.

"Blue?!" Gaku yelled after him, an aghast look evident on his face. The blue Gaoranger continued walking and Gaku looked back at the others.

"Look, we're sure you're telling the truth, but this is you, remember. As soon as they don't share information you change. We can't keep dealing with you stopping us all from working together," Kakeru explained. He put his hand on Gaku's shoulder. "Blue's just frustrated about a lot of things. Don't take it to heart." He gave him a small smile before following in Kai's footsteps, the others closely following.

Gaku let out a sigh. _Blue's not the only one who's frustrated_, he thought. He was determined to prove to them that he was over the whole secrets business. He shook himself before following the rest of the Gaorangers. He was going to show them.

The rest of the journey to the tower block where the Timerangers lived was conducted in relative silence, with no one really uttering any words to others. Once they arrived outside of the tall, white building, they all stopped and looked up.

Sotaro cleared his throat. "Who's going to ring?"

All of the Gaorangers, except for Shirogane, looked away, not wanting to be picked to ring the bell and ask to be let in. In the end, the Sparkling Silver Wolf rolled his eyes at their behaviour and stepped forward, walking up the steps and pressing the buzzer for the Timerangers' apartment, noting that it was listed as 'Tomorrow Research'. He pressed the buzzer a couple of times before he heard Sion's voice answer and the green Timeranger quickly let them into the building. The Gaorangers entered the building, heading up to the Timerangers' apartment, the door was already open when they arrived, but Shirogane knocked out of politeness and they all entered after hearing Sion's voice greet them.

The six Gaorangers walked into the apartment to see the youngest of the Gaorangers sat at the computer with the three navigator owls, while the other five were sat on the sofas; Tatsuya and Yuuri on one side with Domon and Ayase on the other. Additional chairs had been placed alongside the sofa's signalling that they had been expecting company.

Upon seeing their arrival, Sion leapt from his seat and rushed over to greet them. "It's so great that you're here," he said to them, enthusiastically. "We've been talking and we realised that we're going to need to work together. You know about the Orgs and we know about Lila and Serperant."

Gaku couldn't help but roll his eyes. "We know that," he stated bluntly.

Sion's smile faded slightly. "Uh, yeah…" he trailed off.

The Gaorangers cast Gaku looks of contempt and the yellow Gaoranger instantly regretted his words. He was going against what he had set out to do. "Sorry," he quickly apologised to the youngster. "I didn't mean it like that."

Sion's smile widened once more as he nodded in response.

"What Sion meant is that we've come to the conclusion that we need to effectively work as a team if we're to defeat the Orgs, arrest Lila and help Serperant," Ayase explained, standing up.

The Gaorangers exchanged confused and apprehensive looks with each other at the blue Timeranger's words.

"What do you mean by helping Serperant?" Sae asked.

"We all know that truth about Serperant," Ayase continued to explain, "that he worked for Yuuri's mother. He wasn't always an assassin and we've decided that we need to make him remember who he really is."

"After everything he's done, you still want to help him?" Sotaro asked, guardedly, his eyebrows raised.

Yuuri quickly stood up. "That's not your decision to make," she snapped. "We've already discussed how to handle Serperant. It's not of your concern."

The air suddenly stiffened with tension as all eyes rested on Yuuri and Sotaro. The Gaorangers knew that the Iron Bison of the team would back down, since they knew he hadn't meant for his words to come out as they had, while the Timerangers knew that Yuuri was being defensive of Serperant because of her connection to him, the only question was: would she back down?

Yuuri kept her eyes on Sotaro, her dark, almond-shaped eyes boring into him, waiting for him to break and back down. She could see him stumbling, his eyes darting as he mumbled an apology to her.

Tatsuya grabbed hold of her wrist and she looked down at him, her eyes still narrowed. "Remember what we talked about," he hissed pointedly at her, reminding her that they would question their decision about help Serperant and that she had agreed to remain calm about the situation.

Yuuri stared at him for a moment, taking in the pleading look in his eyes. She knew what he was doing, that he was trying to remind her that they were doing this for her. Her expression softened and she shook her wrist free before sitting back down, folding her arms against her chest.

Ayase looked back at the pair before looking forward. "Yuuri's right. The decision regarding Serperant has already been made, but if it's going to succeed, then we need your help."

"What's the plan?" Kakeru asked taking a step forward.

Ayase gestured to the chairs. "Sit down. There's some things we need to discuss first." He walked back, retaking his seat next to Domon.

Sion stood up from his place at the computer and walked past the Gaorangers, sitting down on the sofa next to Tatsuya. Kakeru and the Gaorangers exchange a look before the leader nodded his head and they sat down in the remaining seats.

"Before we discuss how to get Serperant to regain his memory, we decided that we should tell you some of the information that we know," Ayase began once everyone was seated. "It's not imperative for you know, but we thought it best to inform you since it would help you to understand some things about us."

"Okay." Kakeru looked at them curiously.

"You know that both the Londarz family and ourselves have been in this time before, a year ago to be precise," Tatsuya began, taking over from Ayase.

"Of course," Sotaro replied. "Who could forget seeing those buildings disappear into the sky like that?"

Sae nodded in agreement. "It was scary. It really felt like the world was going to end when that happened. But you stopped it."

Tatsuya nodded his head back. "We found out that a member of the Time Protection Bureau was actually responsible for everything that happened: Don Dolnero escaping, the formation of the Timerangers, all of it."

"Someone deliberately attempted to orchestrate the destruction of our time?" Kai wondered out loud.

Tatsuya nodded once more. "He had seen this happen, but sent events in motion to try and change certain aspects of it," he continued. "Mainly to prevent himself from dying."

"But he died anyway," Sion added, a hint of sadness in his voice as he remembered the sight of Captain Ryuya dying in Ayase's arms.

"But we were able to prevent the twenty-first century from ending," Domon interrupted, casting Sion a warning look. The less said about Ryuya the better.

"Okay, but what does that have to do with what's happening now?" Kakeru asked.

"We think that someone from the future, someone within the Time Protection Bureau is responsible for everything that has happened," Tatsuya informed them.

"What makes you think that?" Gaku asked, leaning forward, intrigued by the development.

Sion stood up and walked over to the computer, picking up Jikoku. "He was our first clue," he began, "when he informed us about Yuuri's family and about Serperant. He told us that it was restricted, but Hibiki's memories of the events were erased. We think that someone deliberately did it."

Jikoku opened his eyes for a brief moment and looked around the room, taking in everyone before closing his eyes once more.

"Someone within the Time Protection Bureau?" Shirogane questioned for clarification.

Sion nodded. "Someone high up. No one else would have been able to access the navigator owls without it being logged."

Kakeru stood up, looking thoughtful. "Do you have any ideas to who it could be?" He looked round at the Timerangers.

"No," Sion replied, sadly shaking his head.

"I don't get it. Why would someone deliberately release a criminal?" Sae wondered, looking at everyone in the room.

Yuuri stood up and walked over to Sion. "Everyone has their reasons," she replied quietly. She took Jikoku from Sion's hands and the robotic owl opened its eyes.

"Does Jikoku know who it is?" Kakeru questioned.

Sion shook his head. "No. Like I said, the logs don't show any unauthorised access. The same people had the access, no one else." He let out a sigh. "We're at a loss."

"So what's the plan? How do you intend on finding out?" Gaku asked. A thought overcame him. "If no one in this time knows, then what about those in the future?"

A silence overcame the room as everyone turned to the yellow Gaoranger, surprised at his suggestion. The Gaorangers then looked between the two groups of Timerangers, noticing how the five looked deep in thought at the suggestion.

Yuuri was the first to speak, her voice quiet. "We had never thought of going back to the future yet," she muttered more to herself, but her voice carried across the room. She looked up, seeing that her comrades wore the same look of realisation as she did.

Ayase nodded in agreement. "We knew we'd go back eventually just not before Serperant was recaptured."

"Can't you just communicate with the future?" Kai asked, his voice breaking through the still silence.

Tatsuya turned to him. "We can't risk it. If it is someone with the Bureau, then if we contact them, they might realise that we're on to them." He shook his head. "We'd have to go to future."

"We can't go back with a reason, though," Yuuri said. Her eyes caught Tatsuya's for the briefest of moments, before she looked down at Jikoku. The little robot was still watching her.

"Serperant and Lila need to be caught," Taku's voice spoke up, making everyone jump. "That is the priority."

"He's right." Ayase stood up. "We need to deal with them and the Orgs first. If we can do that, then we can find out who is responsible for all of this." He looked across at Yuuri. "It's your call."

The lead Timeranger look around with determined eyes. "This time is our main priority. We have a responsibility here." She paused. "Then we'll take care of the future."

"What do you intend for us to do?" questioned Sotaro. "How are we supposed to help Serperant and defeat the Ura?"

"Serperant is my responsibility," Yuuri replied, making it clear that she wanted no one else to interfere.

"You can't go up against him on your own," Kakeru said. "You're still injured."

She shook her head. "I need you to distract Ura and take care of whatever else is thrown at us. I'm the only one that can get through to him. I can get him to remember."

"You can't do it alone," the lead Gaoranger retorted.

Yuuri put Jikoku down, the owl continuing to watch her, and took a step forward. "I don't need your help."

Kakeru was about to reply when Shirogane stood up, stepping between the two. "We're supposed to be working as a team, remember?" he reminded the pair, both of whom were wearing determined looks, neither one willing to back down.

Sae nodded her head eagerly. "Don't fight."

Tatsuya walked over to Yuuri, grabbing her wrist and pulling her round to face him. Instantly her expression relaxed. "You can't face him on your own," he told her in a hushed voice, meant for only her to hear. "Let us help you."

"I'm the only one who can get him to remember." Determination flowed through her once more.

"I know. But he's a skilled assassin, remember. You need someone to help you unarm him." He looked at her pointedly, hoping that his point would come across to her. His flickered down to her side, where, beneath the layers of clothes, her side was still bandaged. He moved his hand from her wrist, capturing her hand in his own.

Yuuri followed his gaze, understanding what he was saying. None of them could go up against Serperant whilst he was still armed on their own. She would need help. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Fine," she muttered with a small smile.

Tatsuya smiled back at her and was about to say something more to her when the sound of someone fake-coughing made them jump and they quickly leapt apart, facing the rest of the group. Yuuri let go of his hand and pushed him away before pretending to fix her hair while Tatsuya cleared his throat, a red blush sweeping across both of their faces.

"When you're ready," Ayase said, a mock smile on his face, knowing that the two had been having a small moment. He had thoroughly enjoyed pretending to cough in order to remind them that they weren't the only ones in the room.

Sensing that all eyes were on her and Tatsuya, knowing that they had just witnessed their 'moment', Yuuri ran her fingers through her hair one last time before speaking, her voice steady as if nothing had happened. "I'm going to need a diversion; someone is going to have to distract Serperant long enough for me to be able to disarm him." She turned to Sion. "You said before that you were able to beat Serperant by using the Accel Stop to distract Serperant and to stop him from sensing your movements."

"Yes." Sion nodded, curious as to what she was going to suggest.

"Is there any way to make it faster?"

Sion thought for a moment. "I don't know. I could try." He paused and looked at her. "What are you planning?"

"I don't know yet," she admitted. "But I need you to try and make one of the suits faster."

"Are you sure? If I make it faster then the suits durability will be decreased even more. You probably won't be able to stand a hit."

Yuuri nodded. "I know. Can you do it?"

The blue-haired youngster nodded once more.

"What about the rest of us? What are we supposed to do?" Gaku inquired.

"Like I said before, you'll be taking care of whatever comes with Serperant." Yuuri let out a muffled moan, wincing as she suddenly clutched her side.

Tatsuya and Sion were instantly at her side as the others looked once apprehensively.

"Yuuri-san, are you alright?" Sion asked, holding onto her arm on her uninjured side in an attempt to steady her.

"I'm fine," she replied, biting though her teeth as she continued to wince.

"No you're not," Tatsuya told her, holding onto her other arm carefully as he guided her across the room so she could sit back down on the sofa. "This is ridiculous. You can't do anything in this position." He sat down next her.

"I have to do this," she replied, glaring at him, her eyes narrowed.

"She's right, Tatsuya," Domon added, looking across at the pair. "She wouldn't be alone though, remember."

"You know I have to do this." Yuuri's voice was gentle as she spoke to him, her eyes softening as she looked at him imploringly.

"I know," he sighed. "I just don't want anything else to happen to you."

She gave him another small smile. "Me neither." She turned her head, looking mainly at the Gaorangers. "I need you all with me on this. If I'm going to succeed in helping Serperant, I need you to do exactly what I tell you."

Kakeru looked at her. He didn't want to send anyone into battle without having some form of plan of attack. He didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt. "We're going to need a plan."

"Then I suggest you help me."

The rest of the day was spent with the Timerangers and Gaorangers discussing various plans of action, mainly how they were going to devoid Serperant of his weapons. Sion worked furiously at the computer, trying to make at least one of the suit's Accel Stop function faster. Sweat pooled off of his forehead as he determinedly kept his focus, refusing to stop.

It was almost midnight, the room illuminate with artificial yellow light, the sky outside a jet black colour, when they eventually stopped. All of them were exhausted, but they had managed to come up with a plan that would help to distract Serperant and rid him of his weapons. Sion had also managed to make Tatsuya's Accel Stop function faster and informed Yuuri that if he worked continuously through the night, he would be able to make hers faster as well.

Their plans sorted and in place, Yuuri retreated to her room to sleep while the Gaorangers made themselves comfortable (as best they could) in the living room, refusing the male Timerangers' offers of using the bedroom, which the three males then departed into. Sion remained at his computer, working hard and everyone else soon fell asleep.

G|T

The morning sun cast blood red streaks across the sky as it arose. The apartment was quiet, the only sounds coming from the computer where Sion was still typing furiously, and from the floor where the Gaorangers slept, Sotaro snoring loudly.

Sion shook his head as another loud snore came from the Iron Bison and turned to Taku. "I don't get how they can put up with that noise."

The blue owl looked at him. "He's part of their team. They accept it."

Sion nodded thoughtfully and turned back to the computer and sighed. He had almost finished calibrating the changes for the Accel Stop in Yuuri's Chrono Changer and suit. It had been a long and tiring progress in changing both Tatsuya and Yuuri's but he was nearly finished.

"You should take a rest. You've been working all night."

Sion shook his head. "I don't need to sleep, remember? I need to get this finished."

Taku also shook his robotic head. "You may not need sleep, but you need rest."

The blue-haired boy gave the owl a smile. "I'll be fine."

Yuuri's bedroom door opened and the brunette appeared, ready for the day, dressed in the black skirt she had worn when they had first returned to the future, along with a black t-shirt under her 'Tomorrow Research' jacket, which had been washed and repaired since her attack, and she had tied her hair into a loose ponytail. She walked over to Sion, peering over his shoulder at the computer screen. "You haven't been working on this all night?" she questioned, looking sternly at him.

"I don't mind," Sion replied. "It needed to be done."

She nodded and placed her hand on his shoulder in thanks. "Is anyone else up?"

The young alien shook his head. "I don't think so."

She nodded again. "Why don't you go and see if the boys are awake and freshen up," she suggested, with a pointed look at the door of the male Timerangers' room. "I'll keep an eye on this," she added, sensing his hesitation. "And Taku can help me."

Nodding, Sion relented, understanding that Yuuri was asking him to wake up the others. He didn't like being taken away from his work, especially when it was nearly completed, but he trusted Yuuri and Taku to keep an eye on it. He stood up, offering his seat to the woman, who took it, before quietly disappearing into the bedroom.

Yuuri leant back in her seat, looking at the computer screen and sighed. She could feel a strange nervousness building up within her. Today was the day she was going to confront Serperant and make him remember. Unconsciously, her hand rested on her still bandaged side, remembering what had happened the second but last time she had encountered him. It felt strange, almost as if it had happened in a different lifetime, that she had been shot, that she had seen her parents and Naoto, but she knew that it had all happened. She still had the proof.

The door to the boys' room opened and Sion emerged, changed into an orange long-sleeved top with a khaki-coloured body warmer over it and khaki trousers. He was closely followed by a disgruntled looking Domon who was dressed in dark green trousers with a yellow top with orange sleeves, Ayase who was dressed in black leather trousers with a blue t-shirt and Tatsuya who was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a red t-shirt. Sion quickly rushed over to the computer to check on the status of Yuuri's Accel Stop function and smiled upon seeing that it was nearly complete.

"What are you waking us up so earlier for?" Domon moaned, sitting on the sofa, opposite the one Sae was currently sleeping on.

Yuuri frowned at him. "It's half seven."

"Yeah, in the _morning_," the yellow Timeranger complained with emphasis. "Why haven't you woken up the Gaorangers yet?"

"She was probably hoping your big mouth would wake them up," Ayase retorted with a smile.

Domon frowned and was about to reply when Tatsuya shot him a warning glance and instead he glared at the blue Timeranger who laughed in response.

"It doesn't matter, we're awake." The sound of Kakeru's voice could be heard as the males lying on the floor began to stir as they awoke.

"Yeah, you all made enough noise to awaken the dead," Gaku added sitting up.

"I believe you'll find that was Black," Kai replied, pushing the still sleeping and snoring Sotato, who let out a grunt.

"Eh? What?" The black Gaoranger rubbed his eyes as he sat up, looking round in confusion.

"Nice of you to join us," Kai said with a smirk.

From across the room, the noise the awakening males were making awoke Sae, who let out a moan as she stretched her body. "What's going on?" she muttered sleepily.

Shirogane stood up and walked over to the computer. "How are things looking?"

"Tatsuya-san's was completed during the night," Sion explained. "Just waiting for Yuuri-san's."

"Did you stay up all night?" Kai asked, stretching as he too stood up. "Aren't you tired?"

Sion shook his head. "Nope. I don't need sleep."

Sae's eyes widened at this. "Like ever?"

The boy shook his head again. "Well just once a year."

"Wow." The Gaorangers looked at him in awe.

"So what's the plan of action?" Kakeru asked, putting his jacket on. "Are we going to lure Serperant out or are we going to wait for him to surface?" It was the only thing they hadn't agreed on the previous day.

"I don't see the point in waiting," Yuuri replied. "As soon as my Accel Stop has finished upgrading we should head out."

It seemed as good a plan as any since they had no idea when, or if, Serperant was going to put in an appearance. They all agreed and were about to get themselves ready when Taku opened his eyes, his voice calling in alarm:

"Serperant's in the city."

The eleven of them all froze. Serperant was already in the city? That meant they had to leave straightaway, but Yuuri's Accel Stop function hadn't finished it's upgrade yet.

"What do we do?" Sion asked.

"We have to go. This might be our only chance," Yuuri replied.

"But what about your things? It's nearly finished it's upgrade," Domon pointed out. He looked at Sion. "How much longer will it take?"

The youngster looked at the computer screen. "Fifteen minutes. Twenty at the most." He looked at Yuuri.

All eyes were on the pink Timeranger, waiting for her decision. She had to make the choice. Was it worth staying and waiting for the upgrade to be completed or should they leave it and go without?

She turned to Sion. "You stay here and wait for it to finish," she ordered. "The rest of us are going to go to Serperant." She started to head towards the door and Tatsuya grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She turned to face him.

"You can't go. Not without your Chrono Changer," he said to her.

"I have to take the risk," she replied. She knew he was concerned about her, about what might happen, but she wasn't going to miss this opportunity. They had to do this now, while they had the chance. "You've got yours, so I'll be fine," she added, giving him a small smile. "But we have to go now."

He slowly nodded, his grip on her wrist relaxing. She was right. He had his Chrono Changer which meant that he just had to stop any attacks from being aimed at her until Sion arrived.

She gave him a nod in return. "Let's go."

G|T

Deep beneath the surface, Ura stood in the middle of the Matrix, smoke billowing around his feet. He let out a laugh. All of his plans were coming together. Serperant was luring the Timerangers and Gaorangers into a perfectly crafted trap and he would soon be rid of them. He could feel the power Thousand-Year Evil increasing, coming closer. Soon he would have it and he would be unstoppable.

As his laugh echoed throughout the cavernous Matrix, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba cast uneasy looks at each other as they shook nervously in the corner. They had never seen the Highness Duke Org this excited and it made them tremble to their bones.


	23. Quest 23

**Quest 23**

Serperant sniffed the dry air, taking in the smell of bark and moss. In the distance, he could hear the trickle of water from a nearby stream as it flowed off of the cliff ledge he was stood on. There was a chill in the air, he could feel it as it ruffled through his robes, but he paid no heed to it.

He could sense Lila standing to the right of him, feeling her tense stature through the hard ground. He wondered why Ura had sent them to a remote part of the city. They were stood on the edge of a cliff, in front of him was a tall cliff face, while behind him, the ledge ended, and below (as well as to their left and right) they were surrounded by trees with a small stream that turned into a small waterfall to the left of them.

He felt the vibrations through the ground once more as Lila fidgeted, obviously getting irritated with the waiting. He was too, but he kept his stance still and unmoving. What was the point in wasting energy?

"What is the point in waiting?" Lila moaned, waving her arms around in frustration. "Surely there was another way to lure the Timerangers and Gaorangers out?!"

Serperant didn't move. Of course there was another way. Ura could easily have sent out some Orgettes or his two minions, but obviously the Highness Duke had plans. Plans that involved Lila and himself. He let out a hiss in response to her question.

Lila rolled her eyes at Serperant. "It would have been nice of him to share those plans with us," she muttered, folding her arms against her chest while her cloak fluttered behind her with the wind. She hated not being included. It had been different with Dolnero. She was his right-hand woman, she was always involved. She was suddenly reminded of Gein and how he had gone behind their backs, keeping things hidden from them. She suddenly felt as if history was repeating itself, remembering how that had played out – both Dolnero and Gein had died. She let out a shudder, her body trembling momentarily at a possible thought. Could the same happen to her?

Serperant felt her shudder through the ground, sensing her impending nervousness, though he didn't know why and he didn't care. Her feelings were nothing to do with him. He flexed his feet, his claws scrapping across the ground. He didn't want to be here anymore then she did, but they had orders. This was about destroying the Timerangers and Gaorangers. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that. Nothing.

He felt a sudden shift in the air, catching the scent of humans, ten distinctive smells, ones that he recognised and hated. His lips curved in a smile. They were here. He could feel thunderous vibrations through the ground, signalling their approach and he hissed at Lila who walked over to him.

"About time," she commented, stretching herself out, ready.

Serperant couldn't help but agree. This is what he had been looking forward to for so long.

G|T

The Gaorangers and four Timerangers were walking through a tunnel outside of the city, following the co-ordinates Taku had given them. The tunnel was dark, almost pitch black and they all clung to each other, following blindly as Kakeru, who was in the lead, used his hands to feel his way through the tunnel, his fingers slipping every now and then on the grooves in the stone due to damp slickness that covered them.

The tunnel was damp, the walls coated in a layer of water, while their feet splashed though shallow puddles along the ground, but the air was surprisingly humid, considering the chill that had greeted them outside. The mixture of water and humidity clung to them through their clothes; dampening them and making them stick to their skins.

"How long does this tunnel go on for?" Sae wondered in a hushed tone, though her voice echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off of the walls. She was near the back, clinging onto Shirogane's arm with all her might with one arm while the other held onto Ayase's wrist.

Kakeru instinctively looked back momentarily, before facing forwards. She had a point. The tunnel appeared to go on forever. They had already been walking for at least ten minutes, but there was no light ahead, signalling an exit. They were just surrounded by the darkness.

"My feet hurt," Kai moaned, from near the middle, though his complaint was ignored.

Tatsuya, who was in front of Yuuri and directly behind Kakeru, turned his head slightly in her direction. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, his voice barely above a whisper, hoping that no one would hear them. He was holding onto her hand, the two taking advantage of the darkness.

Though she couldn't see his face, her eyes flickered upwards. "I'm alright," she replied in a low voice. She was sort of telling the truth. Though her side throbbed slightly, the pain was bearable and she had more pressing things on her mind. She wasn't going to let her wound get the better of her, not today.

Tatsuya didn't know whether or not to believe her. He knew that she would never outright lie, but instead she would keep things hidden and he knew that today was a day when she wouldn't let anything stand in the way of what she had to do.

Feeling his uncertainty, Yuuri gave his hand a small, reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine, honestly," she told him.

He instinctively nodded, though he was glad that he was going to be with her when she confronted Serperant and he secretly prayed that she wouldn't have to fight. He dreaded to think what would happen if she had to go up against Serperant, the one she was trying to save.

From his position at the front, Kakeru overheard the couple's words and smiled knowingly to himself, knowing that Tatsuya was more than just concerned for the female Timeranger. He squinted through the darkness, wishing that he could see more clearly and that they would soon exit the moist-ridden tunnel. He hated how his clothes stuck to his skin and was regretting his decision to wear jeans.

The air suddenly chilled and Kakeru stopped walking, feeling a shiver run through his body, not from the decrease in temperature but from something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was a feeling he had felt before, but he couldn't place where from.

"Are you alright?" Yuuri asked as behind them, the muttering voices of their comrades could be heard, each of them voice questions as to what was going on and why they had suddenly stopped.

The red Gaoranger shook his head, trying to rid himself of the anxious feeling coursing through him. "It's nothing," he replied.

Yuuri frowned, noting the unease in his voice. She had also felt the tremor that had coursed through his body.

Kakeru shook himself off once more before taking a step forward, pulling the line with him. _It's nothing_, he told himself, but he still couldn't shake the feeling from his body.

The group had barely walked a couple of paces before there was a cold gust of wind, the tunnel echoing with its sound and a bright light surrounded them, making them shield their eyes. The light faded and Kakeru lowered his hand, blinking a couple of times to allow the spots hindering his eyesight to fade. Once they had, he let out a loud gasp which was echoed by the rest of the group.

They were still in a tunnel, but the walls were now adorned with flickering torches. The sound of dripping water could also be heard, faint in the distance.

Kakeru was frozen. This tunnel, it was familiar. Too familiar. "This can't be real," he muttered.

"Impossible," Gaku gasped in English from the middle and that told Kakeru what he needed to know. This was it. This was the tunnel from their dreams and that meant…

"I don't get it. How did we get here?" Domon asked, astounded.

Sae's grip of Ayase's wrist slackened, but she tightened her grip on Shirogane's arm. "H-how is this possible?"

Ayase turned around, seeing both the white and silver Gaoranger's looks of pure surprise. "What's going on?"

"This tunnel, we've been here before," Shirogane informed them, his voice carrying through the tunnel so those at the front could hear him.

"What?!"

"When?"

"Well, not physically," Kakeru explained, "but this tunnel, this is the tunnel from our dreams."

"You're dreams?" Domon wore a look of utter confusion on his face.

"This is the tunnel from the dreams you all shared?" Yuuri questioned. "The dreams the Power Animals gave you?"

Kakeru nodded. "Yes."

Domon frowned. "What dreams? I think you'd better fill us in."

"For the past couple of weeks, just before you guys showed up actually," Kakeru began with a slight shake of his head, "all six of us have been getting these weird dreams."

"All of our dreams were identical," Kai added eagerly.

Kakeru nodded. "We would be in a dark tunnel which would suddenly been illuminated by flaming torches."

"Like what just happened?" Ayase wondered.

Once more Kakeru nodded. "We'd then suddenly end up outside on a cliff ledge where we'd hear someone calling for help. It sounded like they had fallen over the edge, so we'd lean over to try and help them, grabbing their hand, but then our Power Animal would call out to us and we'd be pulled over the edge."

The Timerangers listened intently to the lead Gaoranger. Yuuri had heard it before, had even met the Power Animals, but for the others, this news was brand new to them and they were curious as to what it meant.

"We spoke to Tetomu about the dreams," Shirogane told them, "and she told us that the dreams probably came from the Power Animals, forewarning us about a threatening danger."

"So that's why you were so shocked," Tatsuya said thoughtfully. He looked around, taking in the flaming torches and dripping walls. "This is all from your dreams."

"If these tunnels really are from our dreams, then that means…" Kakeru couldn't finish his sentence. Instead, he looked forwards at the looming darkness ahead of them.

"We have to keep going," Yuuri told them. She looked at Kakeru. "Just because you all had these dreams, it doesn't mean that they'll come true." He looked back at her and she gave him a small smile. "You've got us with you."

"Yeah," Domon agreed. "We'll make sure none of you lean over the edge to help a damsel in distress."

This was met by smiles from all of the Timerangers, though the Gaorangers still looked unsure as to whether or not to continue, knowing what lay ahead of them. Kakeru looked down at his feet, scuffing his trainers against the wet ground.

"They're right," Gaku eventually said, looking round at them all. "We have to go on." The others, except for Kakeru nodded in agreement and Gaku turned to him, waiting for him to make the decision. "Red?"

Kakeru continued to look at his trainers, the light from the torches flickering, casting them in an orange hue. They were right. They had to go on and overcome and defeat whatever lay ahead of them, regardless of what the prophetic dreams told them. They were Gaorangers. It was their duty to defend the planet regardless and Yellow and Yuuri were right, they weren't alone in this.

He looked up, everyone looking at him expectantly. He nodded, raising his fist and broad smile on his face. "I'm full of motivation!"

The Gaorangers all cheered with excitement, smiles on their faces while the Timerangers looked at each other in confusion, their eyebrows raised and heads tilted to one side.

"Come on!" Filled with enthusiastic determination, Kakeru led them forward though the tunnel. They all followed him with their own sense of impending excitement and wiliness to overcome whatever was waiting for them.

They continued their journey through the tunnel with a new sense of determination; that they were going to beat whatever was waiting for them on the other end. They walked for a few more minutes before the light from the torches grew increasingly brighter, the flames flickering up towards the ceiling, the air grew increasingly colder, chilling them all to their bones, as they shuddered from the sudden onslaught. There was a fiery flash that blinded them, flinging them all forward. Instead of falling onto damp stone, the ground beneath them was dry and smooth, warmth instantly engulfing them.

Opening his eyes, Kakeru stared at the golden coloured stone, hearing the groans of his comrades behind him, before he slowly stood up. Everything looked exactly as it had done in his dreams. They were on a cliff with towering trees to either side of them and past the edge of the cliff. He could hear the trickle of flowing water and knew that there was a small stream nearby, one which turned into a small waterfall as the water poured over the cliff edge.

"Errr…" Domon groaned loudly as he stood up. He blinked a couple of times before staring at the landscape in shock. "What the hell is going on?!"

"How did we get here?" Ayase asked, standing next to the yellow Timeranger. He looked behind at the bare cliff face. There wasn't any sign of a tunnel.

"That's not possible," Yuuri added. "You can't do that. You can't be in one place and then another like that."

Kakeru nodded in agreement. It didn't make any sense. How could they have been in a tunnel only to suddenly appear outside a split second later? It was too confusing.

The sound of a low hiss made all ten of them freeze, their movements completely stopping, all thoughts instantly disappearing from their minds. The sound filled their ears once more and they all turned in the direction of the sound, realisation hitting them.

Serperant.

The Londarz family member was standing to the right of them, standing in the shade of the looming green trees, his tongue flickering as he let out another hiss. Lila was standing to the left on him, a smug smile on her face.

"Serperant?! Lila?!"

The ten quickly took up defensive stances as the two criminals began their slow approach. The smile never left Lila's face, her eyes sparkling with happiness, while Serperant readied himself, his tongue flickering as he sense what the ten were doing, noting that one was missing. This striked him as strange, wondering if they too had planned a trap. But no. They would have had no idea that he and Lila were waiting for them or their own trap. They had the element of surprise. Ura had planned everything. There was no way that they would fail.

The sight of Serperant and Lila disorientated the Timerangers and Gaorangers. They had been expecting Serperant, but not Lila. Instead, alongside Serperant, they had been expecting Orgettes. It seemed as if the Londarz family members had their own plan.

"Red, what do we do?" Sotaro asked hesitantly.

Kakeru glanced at Yuuri from the corner of his eye. She gave him a curt nod and he responded with his own. "We stick to the plan." He took out his G-Phone, flipping it open, ready and the other five Gaorangers took out their own, while the three Timerangers readied themselves with their Chrono Changers.

"Gao Access!"

"Chrono Changer!"

Yuuri took a step back as the nine transformed, instantly taking up defensive stances, ready.

Lila un-holstered her gun and let out a mocking laugh. "You really think you can beat us? You're going up against both of us whom were trained personally by Don Dolnero. Nothing can beat us." She looked past the nine at Yuuri and let out another laugh of mirth. "What's wrong little orphan? You've got nine pathetic heroes to defend you." She pouted. "Are you still too injured to fight?" Her smile instantly faded, as her expression turned cold and she aimed her gun at the female Timeranger. "I can fix that."

Yuuri didn't respond or react to the woman's taunts. She had heard and experienced worse. Lila was nothing to her.

The other nine remained focused, keeping their eyes on the duo ahead of them, though they all felt a pang of hurt at Lila's words and were surprised that Yuuri didn't respond. When Lila aimed the gun, they all quickly moved closer together, shielding the untransformed Yuuri, protecting her from the upcoming shot.

Serperant let out a hiss, his head turning slightly in Lila's direction and the pink-haired woman faltered as she turned her head, a look of annoyance on her face. She frowned and pointed her gun upwards for a brief moment before lowering it slightly. "Fine," she muttered. "You might as well finish what you started."

Serperant hissed once more in response, bringing out his sword, holding it out in front of him.

Kakeru looked over his shoulder at Yuuri. "We'll distract her for as long as we can."

Yuuri nodded once in return, her expression set with a look of determination.

Kakeru nodded back before turning to the others. "Let's go."

This was met by a succession of nods before, as one group, nine of eight of them pushed forward, startling both Serperant and Lila, neither of whom had expected them to suddenly charge forward so quickly. They pushed past Serperant, jostling him slightly before amassing on Lila, who leapt backwards away from them, leaving Tatsuya and Yuuri behind.

Tatsuya turned to Yuuri. "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded. "I have to do this." She placed a reassuring hand on his upper arm. "I'm putting my trust in you. Keep him distracted for as long as you can."

Tatsuya blinked. That was the first time she had ever said that she trusted him and it took him by surprise for a brief moment. He responded by cupping her cheek. "Just be careful."

She gave him a smile. "You too."

Beneath his helmet, Tatsuya smiled back. He nodded before removing his hand and turning so that he was facing Serperant who was shaking his head, still disorientated from the thunderous vibrations he had suddenly felt. In the background, he could see the others facing up against Lila who was firing relentlessly at them. He had some apprehensions about the plan, about what could happen, but he pushed those thoughts to one side. He had a duty to perform. He had to do this for Yuuri.

He took a breath before activating his Double Vectors, a pair of arrow-shaped swords appearing in his hands. He was going to save his Accel Stop mode for when he needed it most. With one last look back at Yuuri, he began moving his feet in the direction of Serperant, quickly increasing his pace.

Serperant sensed the upcoming movement and lifted his own sword, ready to strike at the attacker.

There was a sudden clash of sound ringing through the air as Tatsuya struck out at Serperant who easy blocked the attack. He pushed back, forcing Tatsuya to take a couple of steps backwards before the Red Timeranger swiped at his opponent with his free sword, causing Serperant to parry the attack.

Yuuri bit her lip as she watched, she hated standing on the sidelines like this, it wasn't her. She hated seeing the others, her comrades, in battle while she stood there, helplessly watching on, but she had to wait for Sion. If she didn't and Serperant shot at her again… she placed her hand on her side, feeling the bandage underneath her clothes.

She watched as Orgettes suddenly appeared, springing from the ground like rocks thrown in the air, engaging the Gaorangers along with Ayase and Domon in battle, while Lila continued to fire at them, taking advantage of the distraction. Her eyes them flickered back to Tatsuya who was fighting hard against Serperant. Rather than fighting point blank, Tatsuya was making defensive attacks, only striking out if necessary, but that didn't stop Serperant from attacking violently and effectively with his sword and she involuntarily winced every time an attack hit Tatsuya. She didn't know how much more she could take.

_Where was Sion? What was taking him so long?_

She could feel impatience bubbling up inside of her. She knew it wouldn't be much longer until Tatsuya had to actually strike out at Serperant properly. She let out a gasp as Serperant suddenly struck out, slashing at Tatsuya. Sparks emitted from his Chrono suit as the edge of the blade made contact and he fell backwards onto the ground, Serperant towering over him, letting out a snarling hiss of satisfaction.

She couldn't stop herself, her voice acting of its own accord as she screamed loudly to distract the advancing criminal. "Serperant!"


	24. Quest 24

**Quest 24**

She froze. What had she done?

No. She knew exactly what she had done. She had let her emotions, her feelings, get in the way. Her love for Tatsuya and her fear for Serperant had caused her to cry out. She had done exactly what she had tried to avoid. She had let her heart get in the way. How could she have done that? How could she have been so stupid?

A few feet away, both Tatsuya and Serperant had heard Yuuri's scream, both of them halting their attacks immediately. Tatsuya, who was on his back, rolled over, his mouth agape behind his helmet, a look of shock covering his face. This hadn't been part of the plan. He was supposed to wear him down, keep him at bay until Sion arrived with Yuuri's Chrono Changer. She was supposed to have been kept from harm. But her scream had alerted Serperant to her presence, something that they wanted to avoid. He quickly scrambled to his feet, picking up his Arrow Vectors, both of which had been forced from his hands. He looked back at Yuuri, who was still frozen in place and, ignoring his wounds, stumbled over to her. Serperant remained behind, his head facing the direction the scream had come from. That voice. He recognised it.

"Yuuri!" Tatsuya almost snapped at her as he grabbed hold of her wrist, alerting her to his presence.

"I couldn't help it," she muttered, not really talking to him. She still couldn't believe her stupidity.

He shook his head. "Don't worry." He looked back. Serperant was still standing there. "What is he doing?"

Yuuri's eyes followed the direction of Tatsuya's gaze and she frowned in confusion.

"_Serperant!"_

Serperant was shaking his head. That voice… it sounded familiar. Too familiar. The cry of his name, he had heard it been yelled in that tone before, one of fear, of panic. But where? And who was the girl? Why did he have a lingering sense that she was important to him?

His mind flashed, an image of two young girls holding onto each other and crying in a room, surrounded by dead bodies. The eldest of the two was calling his name, tears flowing down her cheeks.

The force of the image made him stagger back and he clutched at his head.

_Who was she?_

Yuuri's eyes widened as she watched her former protector and she took an instinctive step forward past Tatsuya. This was it. Now was her chance. She took another step and felt someone tug on her wrist. She turned around to see Tatsuya.

He slowly shook his head. "Don't…" He wasn't warning her, but it sounded more as if he were pleading with her, knowing exactly what she was going to do.

She felt her heart sink slightly at his tone and could sense the feeling of helplessness coming from him. They both knew that he couldn't help her. She had to do it alone. She was the only one that could remind Serperant of the truth, of who he really was. She placed her hand on top of his, gently prising his fingers off of her wrist. "I have to." Her tone was apologetic.

He nodded, his hand falling limp against his side. He swallowed heavily, looking past her at the still disorientated Serperant. He couldn't believe that he was actually doing this, that he was letting her go, letting her confront him by herself. "Just," he paused. "Just don't be reckless."

Despite the fear beginning to course through her, she couldn't help but smile. She took a breath, turning around. Serperant was still clutching his head, hissing vehemently in anger and confusion.

This was it.

G|T

Near the looming green trees, the six Gaorangers and remaining two Timerangers were continuing their fight against Lila and a continuously onslaught of Orgettes, oblivious to what was going on with Yuuri, Tatsuya and Serperant.

Kakeru grunted as he landed on his back, his head hitting the ground. He quickly rolled to one side, avoiding the club that landed in the place his head had been moments before. He leapt to his feet, kicking the Orgette in its face, making it fly back into another one, both of them tumbling to the ground. His Lion Fang ready, he used it to deflect the oncoming attacks, before striking the offending Orgettes in the face. He turned his head, looking past the milling Org minions at Lila who was standing along the tree line, out of harm's way, laughing hysterically. He frowned in annoyance as she used her gun to shoot at his comrades who continued to fight though the onslaught of Orgettes. He was startled when on grabbed him from behind, pushing him forward before brandishing its club at him. He rolled across the ground, quickly getting back onto his feet, back to back with Ayase.

"Are there usually this many?" the blue Timeranger asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the massing minions.

"Not usually," Kakeru replied. "There's normally a handful which we beat and then fight the Org. They don't usually keep coming up like this."

"That's what I thought," Ayase responded. "I think it's a trap. They're planning something."

Kakeru nodded in agreement. That made sense, but he couldn't think as to what the Orgs' plan could possibly be, other than defeating them that was. There was something more going on, that much he knew.

"Oi! Are you ladies going to keep on gossiping or are you going to help us?!" the delectate tones of Domon yelled out at them across the battlefield.

Ayase let out a short laugh before pushing away from Kakeru. "Let's get rid of these guys and then try and piece together what's going on here."

Holding his Lion Fang in a defensive position, Kakeru inclined his head in agreement. The sooner they took down the Orgettes, the better.

Kai leapt through the air, slashing at the Orgettes with his Shark Cutters as he flew through the air. He landed next to Kakeru and turned to his leader. "How many more of them are there?!" He was breathing heavily beneath his helmet.

Kakeru shook his head. "Call the others."

Kai stared at him. "Do you have a plan?"

_A plan?_ He had no idea, but they had to get rid of the Orgettes. "Just get them."

Kai nodded and dived back into the fight, slashing at any Orgettes that he passed until he reached Sotaro. He had a quick discussion with the black Gaoranger while his friend slashed at the attacking minions with his Bison Axe.

Kakeru turned, quickly raising his arm to block an upcoming attack. With his free hand, he punched the Orgette in the stomach and the grey minion collapsed to the ground. He quickly rushed out of the fight to a clearing. He was soon followed by the rest of his teammates.

"Ayase and Domon are going to keep fighting," Shirogane explained as he joined them. "They thought that it would be best to keep the Orgette's and Lila's attention away from us."

"Have you got a plan?" Sae asked eagerly.

Kakeru paused. He still hadn't thought of anything that could possibly be of any help. He looked down at the Lion Fang in his hand. He honestly had no idea what to do. Usually when they thought, the bad guys would stay down but not this time. As soon as one went down, another ten would appear to take its place.

"You haven't got a plan, have you," Gaku spoke up and Kakeru was actually surprised that there was no annoyance behind the Noble Eagle's comment, considering he had pulled them out of a fight for no reason.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Sae asked, her eagerness had disappeared in an instant.

Kakeru lowered his head, shame coursing though him. He was the Blazing Lion, their leader. He was supposed to know what he was doing, was expected to have a plan, but he didn't. They were waiting for him to make a decision, but his mind was blank. He didn't know what to do.

"No matter what, we'll always follow you." Shirogane placed his hand on Kakeru's shoulder and the red Gaoranger lifted his head, looking at his friend and comrade with thankful eyes, but it still didn't stop the heaviness of uncertainty that he felt.

He looked down at his Lion Fang and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt a warmth flow through him, could hear GaoLion roaring in his mind. His eyes snapped open. It was so simple. It would work and hopefully take out a handful of the grey minions. He lifted his head and looked at his teammates. He held up his Lion Fang. "Let's put them together."

The five Gaorangers nodded, their own weapons ready and moments later, they had formed Evil-Crushing Hyakujuuken. They stood in position and channelled their energy into the weapon.

On the other side of the battlefield, Lila noticed the lack of colour amongst the grey, seeing on the blue and yellow Timerangers. She tilted her head to one side in confusion, her eyes peering through the sea of grey. _Where are the others?_ she thought as she tried to make them out. She suddenly gasped upon seeing the six Gaorangers standing ready with their combination weapon. She moved further into the trees as there was a shout to divert the two Timerangers away before a slash of light appeared, destroying many of the Orgettes. It was at that moment, as she shielded her eyes from the light, that a realisation hit her. _Only two Timerangers? Where were the others?_" Another realisation hit her, rooting her to the spot. _Where was Serperant?_ She had been so lost in her excitement of fighting that she had forgotten about her own comrade. _Where was he?_

Her eyes scanned the area and she let out another gasp. Across from her were two more Timerangers. The red one and the girl. She snarled. _The girl._ She hadn't transformed like the others. Instead she was cautiously approaching Serperant who was holding his head in his hands. A dark frown crossed her face. He couldn't remember. She wouldn't allow that to happen. If it did, then everything would be ruined. She couldn't let him remember. She was too far away from her weapon to do any damage, so she started moving, the heels of her white boots clicking on the ground as she ran towards Serperant.

G|T

Serperant continued to hiss vehemently, his clawed hands clutching his head. The images were shooting through his mind with unbearable ferocity. He kept seeing the same image over and over, mixed with other fleeting images, but there was always the image of the two young girls, crying as they were surrounded by flames and bodies. One of them, the oldest, was calling his name, tears streaming down her face as she held the other girl close to her. He was suddenly overcome with a desperate need to protect them.

_Who were they?_

What were these images? Memories? He had no idea. He had no recollection of the incident he was seeing, of the girls. Who were they? Why did he feel a need to protect them? He wasn't a protector, he was a killer, yet he was drawn to them, these girls. How could they be memories if he didn't recognise what he was seeing? All he knew was the pain from them hurt. Too much. His mind was burning. It was unbearable. He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop.

He involuntarily jumped, feeling a hand on his arm. He had been so lost in the images burning through his mind that he hadn't sensed someone approaching him. He took a step backwards, the sensation of the person's fingertips sliding away.

"Serperant…"

A voice, a feminine voice called out to him. It sounded similar to the voice calling for him in his mind, but the voice sounded older than the child's, more grown up. Could they be the same person? If so, who was she and why did she haunt his mind in such an aggressive manner?

"Serperant…"

The voice called to him once more and the feeling of a hand on his arm coursed through his body. Whoever she was, she wasn't afraid of him. Did she not know who he was?

"Let me help you."

Help him? How could she help? Who was she? Why did her voice sound so familiar and why wasn't she scared of him?

The girl's voice appeared to have a calming presence on him. He found himself drawn to the sound, the images shooting through his mind slowly disappearing into the blackness as he searched for her voice, pulling himself away from the images. He let out a hiss, sensing the figure of a young woman standing in front of him, her hand still resting on his arm. She didn't move it as he slowly lowered his hands, instead, her grip tightened.

"Serperant…"

The voice and stature of the woman was one that he recognised, now that he could see more clearly. He knew who she was. She was a Timeranger, the one he had shot. What was she doing here? He let out a snarl. She was a Timeranger. It was his job to kill her. But there was something that stopped him from moving, for reaching for his sword and striking her down. Something was stopping him, but he didn't know what he was. There was something deep inside of him telling him that he couldn't. He couldn't hurt her. He shook his head. What was going on?

"Serperant?!"

Another feminine voice screamed out at him. It was harsher than the tone of the woman standing before him and he heard her gasp. He could sense someone running towards him – the woman that had shouted at him and the woman in front of him loosened her grip slightly, but she didn't let go.

"She's a Timeranger! What are you doing?!" The woman running towards him was screaming at him.

Timeranger. The young woman was a Timeranger.

He shook his head, reaching for his sword, unsheathing it in one fluid motion, striking out at the woman in front of him. He didn't know what had overcome him, making him act without thinking. But his strike missed as the girl ducked out of the way, the blade missing her head by mere inches. He felt her remove her hand and take a couple of steps away from him as the other woman arrived at his side.

"What were you doing?!" the other woman, whom he recognised as Lila, chastised him.

He shook his head again. What was he thinking? His mind felt so confused. He had no idea what was going on.

"Yuuri?!"

The yell of another voice, a male one this time, pulled him out of revive and he could feel the man running towards the woman, Yuuri, in front of him.

_Yuuri?_

That name… it was so familiar to him. Who was she and how was she connected to the children who haunted his mind?

"What are you doing?" Lila snapped at him once more. She bent down and picked up his rifle, almost throwing it at him.

He caught it in his free hand and snarled at her.

Lila rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you're confused. That girl is a Timeranger. It's your job to kill her, so I suggest you do just that." She aimed her gun at the two people standing a couple of feet away from them. The male, another Timeranger he presumed, appeared to be standing in a protective stance in front of the girl. She was important to him in some way he presumed. Just who was this girl?

Lila fired her weapon and the man grabbed the woman, pulling her out of the way, shielding her. Lila let out a furious moan and Serperant was surprised that she was stamping her feet in frustration, knowing just how childish she could be at times.

His attention was diverted from his companion when he sensed that the man had a weapon in his hands, a big one, but to his surprise, he wasn't aiming at him, but at Lila. Obviously he hadn't taken too kindly to his own companion being targeted. He suddenly sensed footsteps running towards him as the male fired his weapon at Lila and he was tackled to the ground by the other woman. She quickly rolled away from him, ending up on her knees as he leapt to his feet, brandishing his sword, the tip of the blade inches away from her throat. He could hear her heavy breathing, but she didn't sound afraid.

Behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle. Lila and the male were fighting and beyond them, were the distant sounds of another battle, but he ignored them. The woman in front of him was more important. He just didn't know why.

"Serperant," even though she had a blade tip inches away from her, the woman, Yuuri, appeared calm, her voice steady. "I know you're confused but I need you to listen."

He tilted his head in confusion. Was there something that she knew?

"You don't know who I am, but I can help you. There are memories buried deep inside of you that have been kept hidden from you. You're not who you think you are."

She spoke with such sincerity that he felt even more confused. He wasn't who he thought he was? He was a member of the Londarz family. Don Dolnero had trained him. He was the best skilled sniper there was. That's who he was, yet she was apparently saying differently? Who was he?

"Let me help you."

He shook his head, hissing. How could she help him? He knew who he was.

She was looking directly at him, he could tell by the way her head was tilted. She wasn't scared. Why wasn't she scared? And why hadn't he killed her? Something was holding him back; something was telling him not to kill her. But he didn't understand why. Just who was she? He needed to know. He had to know.

Yuuri bit her lower lip. Serperant's blade was inches from her throat, but she refused to move. She was so close. She knew he was being to be consumed by doubt, his actions were proving that. Before he would have tried to have killed by now, but there was something stopping him.

"I can help you remember," she said to him. "I can help you remember who you really are."

Serperant tilted his head, letting out a hiss as his tongue flickered in and out of his mouth. He couldn't sense anything from the girl, no fear at all. All he could detect was a hint of sadness. He wondered why. Humans weren't usually sad when they were about to die, they were scared, terrified, their bodies trembling, overcome with desperate emotions. But not her. Her sadness wasn't for herself. It made him curious. Just who was this girl so determined to help him?

"You don't remember who you really are," the girl spoke once more. "Deep down you know that. You're not a killer, Serperant. You help people. You helped me. You saved me a long time ago, but you forgot. Your memories were taken away from you by the people you serve. They turned you into this killer. But that's not who you really are." She raised her hand, carefully placing it on his wrist.

Serperant was actually shocked with himself that he actually let her. She had a blade pointing at her throat yet she didn't seem afraid at all, instead she was more focused on him. Her touch was cool and somewhat recognisable, something that he found strange. He had never met her before he travelled to the past, he was sure of that, yet it seemed strangely drawn to her, her name, her touch, her voice, they were all familiar to him but he didn't know why.

"What are you doing?!" The voice of Lila screeched across at him, diverting his attention. He began to turn his head, knowing that she was still fighting the male Timeranger, when the sounded of Yuuri's voice stopped him.

"I need you to listen to me. There's not a lot of time and I need you to listen. You need to understand. You need to know the truth."

_The truth?_ He turned his head back so that he was facing her. She hadn't moved. She was still looking at him, her hand on his scaly wrist.

"You're not a killer," Yuuri told him firmly. "You're a protector. You look after people. Dolnero took away your memories and turned you into a killer. But this isn't the real you. I know that."

He tilted his head. How could she know? Don Dolnero had saved him that much he knew. Hadn't he always been a killer? The image of the two young girls calling out to him appeared in his mind once more. The girls knew him, they were calling for him. Why would they do that if he was a killer? Wouldn't they have been afraid of him? But why did he feel a need to protect them? Shouldn't he feel the need to kill rather than save? Why couldn't he remember them? Who were they?

Yuuri's grip on Serperant's wrist tightened. "I know because you were my protector." Desperation crept into her voice, almost pleading with him. "You worked for my mother, you protected her. You protected me and my sister. There was an accident, my parents were killed, but you, you saved me and my sister. You came for us."

Serperant felt his body tense up. This girl, she had a sister. Could they be the young children that haunted his mind?

"Dolnero lied to you. He said that he would help you find whoever killed my parents, but he lied. He used you for his own gain. He took away your eyes when you found this out. He removed your eyes. Dolnero did this to you!" Tears brimmed her eyes, but she refused to shed them. This wasn't the time for that.

Serperant hissed violently. Confusion swarmed his mind. What she was saying, it couldn't be true. It couldn't.

Yuuri looked up at him, a pleading look in her eyes as she blinked away the tears that had formed. "Serperant, please."

"_Serperant, please…_"

Something clicked in his mind. A memory. The elder of the two girls who haunted his mind, he could hear her, hear her voice as she pleaded for his help. "_Serperant, please… help us…_" Her voice, the tone, it was exactly the same as the girl before him. He was her protector… But what about Dolnero, he had helped him… hadn't he?

His mind grew confused again. What was the truth? He was leaning towards the woman in front of him. He knew her. He had protected her, looked after her. He had a duty to uphold that. But Dolnero… He tried to think, but couldn't remember anything about the Londarz family leader other than him being ordered to carry out tasks, to carry out murders. He had killed many people, aliens, yet this girl was telling him that that wasn't who he really was.

He felt a strange itching feeling along the stitches that held his eyes closed. He had never felt that feeling before and he suddenly felt as if he had eyeballs rolling in his empty sockets. A searing pain suddenly overcame him. He could see a large toad-looking creature (_Dolerno!_) standing a couple of feet away from him, a look of pure fury on his large green face. Next to him was a woman dressed in white with vibrant pink hair (_Lila_), a smug expression on her face, her arms across her chest and approaching him was a gold humanoid-like robot (_Gein_), his arm outstretched, reaching for his face. He felt something grab him forcefully from behind, pinning him so he couldn't move. The mechanical hand of Gein inched closer and closer to his face, reaching for his eyes. A furious shout could be heard in his mind before he felt his eyelids being stretched and something gouging into his eye sockets, both of them. A splatter of liquid could be heard before a strange popping sound deafened his ears. A voice maliciously laughed at him as he let out a ear-piercing shriek of pain.

And then it was gone.

What was that? What had just happened? Was it another memory? Was that how he had lost his sight? He could never remember, had never cared. He had had his other senses before, but now, things were becoming clearer. And this girl, Yuuri, she was the cause of all that. He was supposed to protect her, not carry out the dirty deeds of a criminal.

He lowered his sword, letting it fall limp at his side. _Yuuri…_

Yuuri let out a soft breath as the sword was lowered from her throat. "Serperant…"

Serperant grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her up, hissing softly at her. He was sorry, sorry for everything he had done. He pulled her to him and was strangely surprised when he felt her wrap her arms around him.

Yuuri, herself, was also startled, but him holding her had caused a hidden memory to course into her mind. She remembered Serperant holding her like this before, when she was a child. "Thank you." She didn't know why she said, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

Serperant heard her and hissed back in response. He should be the one thanking her. She had helped him to remember who he really was. He was her protector, not a criminal. Not a criminal… Dolnero, the Londarz family and the Orgs… they were going to pay for what they had done to him, for what they had done to Yuuri, her family and to all of the people they had hurt.

He was going to make them pay.


	25. Quest 25

**Quest 25**

Lila breathed loudly; her heart was beating painfully against her chest from all of the exertion from fighting against Time Red. She scowled at the tall male in front of her. She was doubled over after receiving a kick to the stomach but she held her gun in a tight grip while the red Timeranger held his two sword-like weapons out in front of him, ready to strike.

She kept her eyes fixed on the male in front of her, preparing herself for the next attack. She wasn't overly impressed with how the fight was going. The Orgettes appeared to be keeping the Gaorangers and other Timerangers busy, but she seemed to have her hands full in just dealing with the red Timeranger while Serperant still appeared to be fighting with Time Pink. Her scowl increased. _What's taking him so long?!_ she snapped to herself, her frustration mounting. The girl was already wounded so it shouldn't take him too long to deal with her.

She needed to know what was going on, what was taking him so long. He was a master assassin. It shouldn't take him this long to deal with an injured girl. Making sure that she remained facing him, her eyes flittered in the direction of Serperant.

Her scowl was instantly replaced with a look of pure shock.

Serperant was hugging the girl!

Anger instantly overwhelmed her shock, building quickly within her. _No! How is it possible?_ She had made him remember, she must have done. It was the only explanation for what was happening. She seethed angrily, her body beginning to shake. But how had the girl known? Her grip on her weapon intensified, the leather of her gloves straining with her grip. She was angry. More than angry. She had never felt this furious before. All the planning was now put to waste. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Tatsuya, who was stood a couple of meters away from Lila, tilted his head in confusion at her sudden distraction and the look of utter fury in her eyes. Slowly, feeling a deep sense of apprehension on his heart, he turned, following her gaze. He couldn't prevent the smile of relief from forming on his lips. She had done it. Yuuri had actually done it.

He turned back to look at Lila, preparing himself for her reaction. From the look on the villainess's face, he knew that her outburst was going to be violent and brutal.

Lila noticed him shift and instantly her attention snapped back to him. "What have you done?!" she shrieked, pointing her weapon back at him. "How could you have done this?"

Tatsuya shook her head, frowning. "We've just reminded Serperant of who he really is and of the life _you_ took away from him." He pointed his Arrow Vector directly at her.

Lila snorted. "You people are all about saving others, aren't you?"

"It's our duty," Tatsuya replied. "People need to be protected from the likes of you, the Londarz family and the Orgs."

"I won't let you do this. You can't." The venom was evident in her tone. "Too much went into this for the likes of you and her to ruin all of that." She turned her attention back to Yuuri and Serperant and let out a laugh. "You really think that this will make any difference? You think you've won?" Her eyes snapped back to him. "Things are going to change."

Tatsuya looked at her in confusion, his grip on his Double Vector weapon tightening, wondering what she could mean. _Do the Orgs have something planned?_

Lila suddenly fired her gun at him, startling him and he quickly rolled out of the way, the shot hitting the ground just behind him, firing dust and gravel into the air, before leaping up. "Vector end, Beat Six!" he shouted, holding his Double Vector up, one of the Vectors pointing upwards as if in the twelve o'clock position on a clock while the other was pointing downwards in a six o'clock position. In one swift movement, he moved his arms, creating the attack which hit Lila, throwing her backwards onto the ground. She let out a shriek as her gun flew out of her hands and she clasped a hand to her arm as a thin red gash appeared.

She looked up at him, a look of shock on her face. Her hand clutched her wound tighter. She stumbled to her feet, her fury rising once more. But, instead of fighting him, she took a step backwards and disappeared into the tree line.

Tatsuya took a step forward as if to follow her but stopped and, picking up her discarded weapon, headed over to Yuuri and Serperant. As he approached, his Double Vector disappearing, he noticed that Serperant stiffened before turning around, his katana held out in front of him, keeping Yuuri behind him protectively. He instantly stopped where he was.

"It's alright." Yuuri placed her hand on her former bodyguard's arm, her voice calm. "He's a friend."

Serperant paused, taking in Yuuri's words. Through the ground and air, he could sense that he approaching man was one that he had encountered before, someone who had been by Yuuri's side. He slowly lowered his sword but kept a firm grip just in case of an attack.

From behind Serperant, Yuuri smiled, telling Tatsuya that it was okay to approach them. He took quick, cautious steps and was soon standing in front of her. She took a breath and gave him another smile, this time one of happiness that he knew was for him and he quickly pulled her into his arms.

"Are you alright," he whispered in her ear.

She nodded against his shoulder. "Are you?"

"Yeah." Almost regretfully, he gently pushed her away. "It worked."

Her smile grew wider. "It worked."

He hadn't seen her smile like that in a very long time, a smile of utter happiness and he felt a sudden urge to kiss her but knew that now wasn't the right time, plus he still had his helmet on. She seemed to be thinking the same thing as her hand cupped where his chin would be and she continued to smile.

Next to them, Serperant shifted uneasily, unsure as to what to do. It appeared that the woman he was supposed to be protecting had someone else to protect her. Of course that made sense. He had been in the darkness for too long that of course she would find someone knew, but despite that, he knew that it was still his duty to protect her. He had failed to protect her mother so he deemed to continue to protect her daughter instead.

Tearing his sense away from her, he could feel violent vibrations through the ground. There was a fight going on. He turned in the direction of the battle, sensing the milling Orgs and the humans. He let out a rasp, alerting Tatsuya and Yuuri who both turned, instantly reminded that there was still a battle going on.

"I'd better go and help them out," Tatsuya said, pressing Lila's gun into Yuuri's hand. "Use this until Sion arrives."

She took it with a nod of her head. "Be careful," she told him and he nodded, running off in the direction of the fight. She then turned to Serperant. "Go with him," she ordered. "I'll be fine."

Serperant felt somewhat reluctant to leave but he had his orders and he inclined his head before slowly following after Tatsuya, making sure that he would still be able to sense her in case anything happened.

G|T

Ayase shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't understand where the continuous onslaught of Orgettes was coming from. It felt like they had been fighting for hours. Every time they appeared to defeat one group, another with twice as many Orgettes sprung up in their place.

He hated to think it, but he didn't know how much more he could take.

"Need a hand?"

The sound of Tatsuya's voice startled him and he turned to see the lead Timeranger running to join them, his Arrow Vectors ready in his hands. Ayase let out a breath of relief. "Took you long enough." He struck down an approaching Org minion before turning back to him. "Well?"

"She did it."

"Thank goodness." That meant that it hadn't been a waste, that one of the best assassins from the future was finally on their side. He looked behind his friend and saw the former Londarz member slowly approaching, his sword unsheathed. He noticed that Serperant's pace appeared to be increasing, going from a walk to a run. He grabbed Tatsuya's arm. "I think we'd better get out of the way."

"Wha–?" Before he had a chance to even think, Tatsuya was yanked to one side and a white-ish coloured blur swept past them.

"What the–?" Domon shouted in confusion as the Orgettes around him were destroyed and in a matter of seconds, the Timerangers and Gaorangers were alone on the battlefield, all of the Orgettes destroyed while Serperant, breathing heavily, stood a couple of feet away and calmly sheathed his sword.

"I take it she got him to remember then," Gaku noted, walking over to the red Timeranger.

"Yeah," Tatsuya replied, looking over his shoulder to see that now the minion had been destroyed (and none had risen in their place), Yuuri was walking over to them.

"About time too," Domon stated, stretching out his arms as his transformation disappeared. "I don't know how much longer I could go on for."

"Aww, was 'ickle Domon getting tired?" Ayase mocked with a laugh, also cancelling his transformation, Tatsuya and the Gaorangers copying the motion.

"Why you–!" Domon snarled and made to swipe at him but the blue Timeranger ducked out of the way and laughed once more.

"Do you think that's it?" Sae asked.

"I don't know," Kakeru replied. "But I don't think so. Serperant and Lila were already here waiting for us. That makes me think that they've got something planned. Something big."

"Speaking of the witch, where is she?" Domon asked, looking round.

"She ran off," Tatsuya replied. "But not before saying that things were going to change. I think that means they have something more planned."

"Why don't we just ask Serperant?" suggested Gaku. "He's been down with them. He must know what they have planned."

"That's a good idea," agreed Kakeru. "But who's going to ask him."

They all froze. None of them wanting to approach the former criminal.

"Why are you all scared of him?" Yuuri asked, suddenly appearing next to them, telling them that she had heard their discussion. "He's on our side now." When none of them replied, she let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine." She went over to Serperant, beckoning him to go with her back to her comrades. He followed behind her, the two conversing. Arriving back, she folded her arms against her chest and let out a heavy sigh. "He says that he doesn't know. Apparently he and Lila were just told to come up, but he does think that Ura has something planned he just doesn't know what."

"He can't speak so how can you understand him?" Sotaro asked. "Uh sorry! I didn't mean it like that," he quickly added as they all sent his chastising looks.

She looked up at her former protector before looking back at them. "I just can," she replied, though she honestly didn't know herself, but she seemed to recognise the sounds that he made. The last time she had had a conversation with him, he had been able to talk. It deeply saddened her as she realised that she couldn't remember what his voice sounded like.

"What could Ura be planning?" Sae wondered. She looked round at all of them. "He can't know we have Serperant on our side, right?"

"If I'm right, then it's more than likely that he will have a back-up plan," Shirogane replied. "And Tatsuya said that Lila's disappeared. I expect that she's more than likely already informed him of what has happened and he will have adjusted his plan. Remember, they were already here waiting for us."

Kakeru nodded in agreement. "This is also the place from our dreams. Something big is definitely going to happen, we all know that. It's just a question of what."

"And that's a big what," Gaku added. "We have no idea what they're planning."

"But at least we have Serperant," Domon voiced. "That's one objective out of the way and with him on our side, we have a better chance at kicking those guys down quicker." He punched his fist into his other hand in determination.

"Everyone!"

The voice of Sion alerted them all to his presence and they turned to see the blue-haired alien running towards them. He stopped once he reached them, panting for breath.

"About time you got here," Domon said. "You missed out on all the fun."

"Sorry," Sion apologised with a bow, "but I couldn't find you guys. I followed the co-ordinates Taku gave us which lead me through a tunnel but I couldn't leave."

"What do you mean you couldn't leave the tunnel?" Kakeru asked.

"I just couldn't get out," Sion replied. "I thought I was trapped but then there was this light and I was suddenly out here, wherever here is." He looked around at the landscape. As he turned, his eyes rested on Serperant and his face broke out into a smile, seeing that Yuuri had managed to get him to remember. He turned to Yuuri, holding out her Chrono Changer. "It's been upgraded," he told her. "Sorry I couldn't get it to you sooner."

She smiled in response as she took it, strapping it to her wrist. She had felt lost without it, useless almost and she was glad to have it back.

"What do we do now?" Kai wondered, looking round at them all. "Do we stay here or…?"

"There's nothing left for us here," Gaku replied. "The Orgs have gone, but…" he didn't finish his sentence, all of them knowing that something more was supposed to happen. He turned to Kakeru. "What do you think, Red?"

The lead Gaoranger paused. He had two choices: leave or stay. If they stayed, then there may not be another attack. They had no idea when they're dreams were supposed to become reality; it not might even be that day, but what if it was? They had no idea when the enemy would attack, but the fact that they had been lying in wait… that had to mean something. The Orgs obviously had something planned for them. But if they weren't attacking that day and they stayed then they would be wasting valuable time recuperating, something that couldn't be done properly out in the middle of nowhere and Yuuri was still injured. They couldn't risk her wound becoming infected since her bandages still needed to be changed. It made more sense to leave and gather their strength. Taku or Tetomu would be able to tell them if the Orgs had risen.

"I suggest we go back," he eventually informed them. "There isn't much more we can do here, except wait."

The Gaorangers nodded in agreement.

"But how do we get back?" Ayase wondered. "We just appeared here."

"He has a point," Tatsuya added. "There was just solid rock behind us."

"We're trapped here then," Sion said with a heavy heart.

"Not necessarily," Shirogane said, speaking up. "In our dreams we could hear our Power Animals and they were close by, so there must be another way out if they were able to get close to us." He looked up at the sky. "We have no idea where we are, but –"

"We might be able to fly out," Yuuri finished his sentence, her gaze following his and he nodded. She then looked around at the others. "We have no idea where we are or where the forest leads, but if we called upon the Time Flyer then we could fly out."

"It's our only option," Tatsuya added. He turned to Sion. "Would it be able to hold twelve of us?"

Sion thought for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "The Time Flyer was only designed for the use of five people. It couldn't carry all of us."

"But it's our only way out," Kakeru reminded them.

Tatsuya nodded. "We'd have to make a couple of trips then. Split into groups. Would it take six people?" he directed his question to Sion.

"I think so," the blue-haired youngster replied. "But I wouldn't recommend going too far."

"Okay. So we split into two groups, each with a Timeranger to fly it. Agreed?"

They all nodded unanimously in agreement. They had no other choice after all.

Tatsuya raised his wrist, speaking into his Chrono Changer. "Taku? Taku?"

Instead of hearing the voice of the robotic navigator owl, they were met with static. He looked up at the other Timerangers, confusion in his eyes.

Yuuri lifted her wrist and spoke into her Chrono Changer to try and communicate with Taku, but she too was met with static. The same thing happened when Sion, Ayase and Domon tried. None of them could get through to Taku.

"What the hell is going on?" Domon moaned after his unsuccessful attempt.

Kakeru took out his G-Phone, flipping it open and called Tetomu. If the Timerangers couldn't get through to their robotic owl, maybe they could contact Tetomu. His eyes widened in surprise as he too was met with static. He lowered his phone. "I can't get through," he told them.

Yuuri shook her head. "This isn't right."

"I agree," Shirogane added. "There must be something that is preventing us from communicating outside of wherever we are."

"Can't you call for the Time Flyer then?" Kai asked the Timerangers.

Sion shook his head. "We need Taku for that," he replied sadly. He looked down at his Chrono Changer. "There must be something blocking us."

"So we're trapped?" Sae nervously asked. She really didn't like the thought of being trapped in the middle of nowhere with no food. She involuntarily let out a shiver.

"Our only option is to go through the forest," Gaku replied, looking across at the tall trees.

"We'd better make a start then," Kakeru said, taking steps towards the line of trees, the others following closely behind.

As soon as they were barely a metre away from the closest tree, they were all suddenly thrown back by an invisible force. The twelve crashed to the ground, the eleven humanoids groaning in pain while Serperant let out a snarl of anger.

Tatsuya, who had been thrown onto his back, rolled over and looked at Yuuri who was inches away from him. She had landed on her front. "Are you alright?" he asked her, obviously concerned.

Flinging her hair out of her face, she nodded. "Yeah," she replied.

Tatsuya slowly got to his feet, holding out a hand to help her up. She did so and the two looked around to see their comrades also wearily getting to their feet. There was no sign of whatever had thrown them back away from the trees.

"It looks like we're stuck here," she commented.

"I take it someone doesn't want us to leave," Domon groaned angrily.

"This must be Ura's doing," Shirogane added. He looked around, almost as if he were expecting the Highness Org to be behind them. "He's keeping us here for a reason."

Sae, who had been near the edge of the group, carefully walked closer to the middle, nervously looking around her, half expecting the enemy to suddenly appear.

"If that's the case then why doesn't he bloody well show up?!" Domon snarled. He hated waiting. If there was a fight to be had, the sooner the better and both he and Sotaro flexed their muscles ready.

Shirogane shook his head. "He's playing with us."

The sky above them began to darken, turning from light blue to jet black in the blink of an eye. The sound of thunder rumbled overhead but there was no sign of rain or lightning. The air grew cold, chilling them all and they huddled closer together, knowing that at any moment the enemy could appear.

Tatsuya held up his Chrono Changer. Next to him, Kakeru mimicked the action, taking out his G-Phone, flipping it open. Around them, their teammates did the same, ready for the upcoming fight, while Serperant, sensing that his new found comrades were preparing for battle, unsheathed his sword, holding it out ready in front of him.

A high-pitched laughter filled the air. They couldn't tell from which direction the sound was coming from as the laughter reverberated around them, even Serperant couldn't tell. There were no vibrations in the ground signalling the presence of another being. He had no idea where the sound was coming from.

"Ura," Shirogane hissed. He could recognise that laughter anywhere.

The laughter increased in volume and became more focused. Serperant tilted his head, hearing the shift and his head snapped round to his left and he let out a hiss. Yuuri, who was next to him, turned to face the same direction. "Over there," she said in a low voice, telling the others that Serperant had located where the laughter was coming from and they all turned.

There was a loud crash of thunder which was instantly followed by a bright flash. Standing close to the tree line stood Ura, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba, a tall, black cross standing in the ground behind them. The world then turned black once more and the thunder continued to rumble overhead.

Without another thought, Tatsuya shouted "Chrono Changer!" activating his transformtation along with the rest of the Timerangers while Kakeru and the Gaorangers yelled "Gao Access! Spirit of the Earth!" Together, the eleven transformed into the Timerangers and Gaorangers and were instantly ready for the battle.

Ura let out another high pitched laugh, covering his mouth with his fan. He looked across at Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba, a gleam of happiness in his small eyes. He was looking forward to this.


	26. Quest 26

**Quest 26**

Thunder boomed loudly overhead as crashes of lightning illuminated the area. With every flash of light, Ura, Tsue Tsue, Yabaiba and the large cross behind them inched closer to the Timerangers and Gaorangers.

"Ura!" Shirogane hissed, taking a step forward.

Serperant let out a volatile hiss, his body tensing as he sensed the Org trio standing before him. While they hadn't known who he really was, they had still used him for their own personal gain and that was unforgivable. He wasn't a puppet.

The Highness Org laughed, the high-pitched sound echoing all around them, raising his fan to his oversized nose. Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba smiled with glee as the three just stood, watching the two teams before them.

"What are you planning?" Gaku yelled at them as another fork of lightning crashed around them. All of them were curious as to their sudden arrival, but, more specifically, why they came baring a cross. It was clear something was planned, the only question was what.

Ura let out another laugh, lowering his fan and pointing it at the twelve. "You have Serperant back it seems." His small eyes fixed on the former Londarz criminal.

_Serperant? That's why they're here?_ The two teams instinctively made movements towards their newest addition, ready to protect him if the Orgs made a strike for him.

Tatsuya took a small step forward as Serperant let out a snarl. "You can't have him back!" he shouted.

Ura laughed even louder, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba joining in. "What makes you think we're here for him?" He instantly stopped his laughing while his two companions smiled widely. "He's past his usefulness. I no longer have a need for him," he sneered.

This stunned the entire group. If they hadn't come for Serperant… then who and why?

"What do you want?" Kakeru shouted at them, voicing the question that had them all confused.

"You'll see," Ura replied as there was another crash of lightning and in the distance the sound of howling could be heard.

Shirogane paused, looking upwards at the dark sky. _That howl…_ He recognised it. _But why?_ "Gao Wolf…" he mumbled under his breath. But it couldn't be possible. Why would his Power Animal be howling?

"Silver?" Sae looked at him with concern, having heard his voice.

He shook his head. No, it couldn't be Gao Wolf. "Nothing," he replied, looking down at her, though he still felt a sense of unease. Something just didn't feel right.

Sae narrowed her eyes as she slowly nodded, not completely convinced with his reply.

"This is getting tedious." Ura brandished his fan towards them, white shots emerging from the ends, flying through the air and striking the twelve, sending them flying backwards to the ground. He turned to Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba. "Go."

The two lower Orgs nodded, excited looks covering their faces as they took off across the plain towards the fallen group. As they ran, Ura brandished his hand once and Orgettes leapt from the ground as his two companions ran past.

Serperant was back on his feet in an instant, his sword unsheathed, ready to protect Yuuri and her comrades from the upcoming forces. He was determined to do his duty.

Seeing the assassin on his feet, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba shared a quick glance before slowing their pace, allowing some of the Orgettes to tear off in front of them, brandishing their clubs.

Serperant stood ready, striking at the Orgettes with quick precise movements as the minions made to attack him, allowing the Timerangers and Gaorangers to get back onto their feet. Yuuri, Tatsuya and Ayase summoned their Double Vectors, the blue Timeranger joining his together to form the Twin Vector, while Domon and Sion summoned their Vol weapons, the Gaorangers summoned their own individual weapons, itching to join in with the fight. They all darted forward, swiping, striking and firing at the Org minions.

Yuuri sidestepped past an Orgette, ducking as she did so to avoid its club, before spinning around and slashing the minion across its back, making it fall to the ground. She then turned once more, using her other Arrow Vector to cleaver another of the Orgettes. She looked around as she spun, taking in the action around her. She could barely make anything out, the sky was so dark and the area was only illuminated by brief flashes of lightning. She high-kicked an approaching Orgette, catching it across its grey head, making it fall into another, the two crashing to the ground. She stopped momentarily, looking up at the dark sky as the sound of another howl echoed. _What is that?_ she thought before feeling herself being pushed, pulling out of her thoughts as she struck at the being.

Shirogane had also paused upon hearing the howling once more. His eyes scanned the area, searching for the source of the sound but there was nothing. It filled him with a sense of dread. Something deep down told him that howl belonged to Gao Wolf. He didn't know why, whether it was because of his connection to the Power Animal or because of something else, but there was something that was telling him that it _was_ Gao Wolf and it was this that filled him with unease. Why was his Power Animal howling?

The silver Gaoranger was so distracted that he didn't see the approaching Orgettes, their clubs brandished high above their heads, ready to strike. But just as they were about to strike, a yellow figure soared through the sky, knocking them down.

Landing on his feet, the wings on his suit disappearing, Gaku turned to his comrade. "Silver!" he yelled, alerting Shirogane to his presence. "What are you doing?"

Shirogane turned as another flash of bright lightning illuminated the area and the battle around them. The sound of howling echoed once more, making both he and Gaku look up at the sky.

"Is that..?" Gaku began.

"I think so," Shirogane replied, finishing the Noble Eagle's unasked question. "But I don't know why." It had to be Gao Wolf. Nothing else could make that noise.

The sound of laughter surprised the two Gaorangers and they turned, seeing Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba approaching them.

"What have you done?" Gaku shouted, knowing that they must somehow be responsible for Gao Wolf's howling.

Tsue Tsue let out another laugh. "We haven't done anything… yet," she replied with a broad smile.

Shirogane's hands balled into tight fists, his grip on his Gao Hustler Rod tightening. Of course they were responsible. But what could they have possibly done to get his Power Animal to cry like that and why? There was another flash of lightning, but this time, the light had a red hue and he instantly looked back up at the sky. Behind him he could hear the two Orgs laughing. He let out a gasp upon seeing a full silvery-red moon appear. How was that possible? It was still supposed to be day. Gao Wolf let out another howl and his head snapped around to look at Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba. "What have you done?"

Both of the Orgs placed their hands in front of their mouths as they looked at each other and laughed. "It is all Ura-sama's doing," Yabaiba laughed.

Gaku took a step forward. "What do you mean?"

Yabaiba turned to him. "Ura-sama has no use for you," he said, raising his hand to the yellow Gaoranger as Tsue Tsue mimicked the action with her staff. A blue streak of light emerged from Yabaiba's hand while red light emerged from the end of Tsue Tsue's staff, streaking across and striking Gaku in the chest, lifting him off of his feet before throwing him away from them.

"Yellow!" Shirogane yelled, taking a step forward as his comrade fell heavily to the ground. He pointed his Gao Hustler Rod at the two, ready to fight them.

Yabaiba and Tsue Tsue laughed once more before directing their streaks of light at him. He rolled out of the way but wasn't expecting another blow to hit him from behind, forcing him to the ground, rolling onto his front, he saw Ura standing a couple of feet away.

"Ura!" he hissed and his eyes widened as green light emerged from the Highness Org's hands, while behind him, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba copied their leader's actions and three streaks of light hit the silver Gaoranger, making him yell in pain before his transformation ended and he fell unconscious.

Gao Wolf let out another howl.

G|T

In an instant, the Orgettes disappeared, surprising the two teams and Serperant. They looked around in surprise, confused as to where the minions had suddenly disappeared to.

"Yellow?" Kakeru suddenly shouted running over to his fallen second-in-command who was still unconscious on the ground, everyone else following closely behind. He fell to his knees. "Yellow? Yellow?"

"Is he alright?" Yuuri asked, looking down at the yellow Gaoranger.

Kakeru wasn't sure. He was about to reply when he heard Gaku groan and he instantly felt relieved.

Gaku groaned as he slowly sat. "What happened?"

"We could ask you the same question," Sotaro replied, his arms folded against his chest.

Rubbing his chest, Gaku shook his head. "Ergh, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba hit me with some kind of electrical light. Goddammit, it hurt." He looked around at them. "Where's Silver?"

"Silver?" None of them had noticed that they were missing the Sparkling Wolf.

"He was here. Gao Wolf was howling and the moon turned red." He looked up at the sky, the others following his gaze. The once silver moon was now a deep blood red. "What the hell is going on?"

"And where is Silver?" Sae added, biting her lower lip. She was glad she still had her helmet on and that no one could see her worry.

As if in answer to her question, Gao Wolf howled once more, the canine Power Animal appearing on top of the cliff above them. The Power Animal's head was pointing upwards, howling at the moon.

"Gao Wolf," Kakeru breathed.

With a slightly shaking hand, Sion pointed up at the creature. "That's a Power Animal?" His voice couldn't hide his surprise.

"They huge," Domon gasped.

Despite the situation, Kai smiled. "I'd forgotten you guys hadn't seen one," he said to them before looking at Yuuri. "Other than you that is."

Yuuri nodded in response. "But what is it doing here?"

Gao Wolf let out another howl as a swirling back mass appeared in front of the moon.

"Er, what is that?" Ayase asked, pointing upwards.

"It can't be," Kakeru whispered in disbelief.

"Oh my God," Gaku gasped in perfect English, getting to his feet.

"What is it? What's going on?" The Timerangers were confused by the new development, but, it appeared, that the Gaorangers were not.

As Gao Wolf continued to howl, a high-pitched laughter could be heard and they all turned as there was another flash of lightning. Ura, Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba, who had Shirogane's G-Brace strapped to his wrist, appeared once more standing in front of the cross only this time, Shirogane was bound to thick, black frame, his head drooping forward signalling that he wasn't conscious.

"Silver?!" The Gaorangers all yelled in unison.

"What are you doing, Ura?" Kakeru shouted, taking a step forward.

Holding his fan to his face, the Highness Org let out a shrill laugh. "Surprised, aren't you. I used Serperant to distract you while I focused on my big plan."

Serperant hissed violently. He had been used! Used as a distraction for the Org's personal gain. One of the things he despised most was being used.

"Plan?"

Kakeru looked up at the swirling black mass before looking back at the scene before him. "The evil energy," he spoke carefully, as though realising what was really happening in front of him, "you're planning on putting it back into Silver's body."

"Evil energy?" Domon questioned.

"What do you mean 'put it back'?" Sion wondered, looking at Kakeru.

Gaku turned to the red Gaoranger. "That can't be possible. That'll mean Silver will turn into Rouki again."

"Who's Rouki?" Domon asked, but his question went unanswered as all eyes were fixed on Kakeru, waiting for his response.

Kakeru slowly nodded. "A Rouki that's ten times more powerful."

Ura laughed. "No wonder you're the leader. You think fast."

Yuuri turned to face the lead Gaoranger. "What is going on?"

Kakeru quickly explained about Rouki, about how Shirogane had donned a mask that contained an evil energy in order to defeat a powerful Org, but as a result, he turned into Rouki and that he reverted back to his true self once the mask had been destroyed. He left out the part about Shirogane being from the past, it wasn't important. What was important was the fact that Ura was using the silver Gaoranger in order to bring back an even more powerful Rouki so that he could use the evil energy in order to defeat them.

Once the Blazing Lion had finished speaking, the Timerangers turned back to look at Shirogane, all of them stunned by what they had heard. But rather then resent the silver Gaoranger, they understood because, in a way, it reminded them of Naoto, about how they had fought against him and the City Guardians when he had first become TimeFire and how he had eventually worked with them. While it wasn't exactly the same, they knew that Shirogane was a Gaoranger like how Naoto had become a Timeranger, they were both a part of their respective teams regardless of what had happened in the past.

"Rouki was almost as powerful as Serperant," Sotaro added, remembering how hard it had been to defeat him back then.

"We just have to hope that Silver can fight against him and win," Sae said worriedly.

"He will," Kakeru said, determination evident in his voice. He knew Shirogane would do it. He had fought off Rouki before and he was positive he would do it again.

Ura let out another laugh. "You really think so?"

"I have faith in Silver," Kakeru bit back. "I know he can win."

Gaku stepped forward. "We all have faith in Silver."

"Faith?" Yabaiba let out a shrill cry of laughter. "You'll need more than that." He grinned widely while a smirk crossed Tsue Tsue's lips.

"We stopped the world from ending. I think we can beat you easily enough," Domon retorted back.

"We'll do whatever it takes to stop you," Tatsuya added.

From his place, tired up against the post, Shirogane slowly began to stir, his eyes blinking a couple of times. He tried to move but could feel that his wrists and ankles were restrained. He lifted his head, his eyes widening. "What the…" he murmured.

Ura turned. "Ah, you're awake." He looked up at the red moon. "Just in time."

His eyes narrowed with confusion, he looked up and let out a gasp. "It can't be!" It couldn't be possible. They had destroyed the evil energy. He was no longer Rouki which meant the energy had been destroyed. It couldn't be possible.

"Silver!" Upon seeing that their captured comrade was awake, the Gaorangers yelled at him in an attempt to warn him.

Shirogane looked back at his teammates. He could tell that they knew what was going on, what the swirling mass in front of the moon was. He knew that they would try to stop it, like they had before. He looked back up, Gao Wolf's howl echoing in his ear. His Power Animal was calling to the evil energy. "Gao Wolf!" he yelled. "Stop it!"

Ura laughed, his fan in front of his face. "You really think that'll stop him? He's calling to it because it's a part of him, like it is a part of you. You might have been able to dispel it, but you didn't destroy it. It had nowhere to go, but now it does. A part of it is still inside you." His eyes tilted upwards to look at the approaching mass. "And soon it will be complete once more."

Shirogane shook his head. "You can't. I'll stop you."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Gao Gator, Gao Hammerhead," he called to his other Power Animals, but Yabaiba's laugh cut him off.

"You mean these?" As well as having his G-Brace, Yabaiba had the two small orbs containing Shirogane's other two Power Animals in his hand.

"We need to stop Gao Wolf," Kakeru said to the others. "He's calling the energy to Silver."

"We can't. It's too late." Sotaro pointed at the mass of evil energy which was approaching Shirogane at a hasty pace.

"Oh no," Sae gasped.

The Orgs started laughing with glee as the swirling evil energy approached Shirogane while the Gaorangers and Timerangers looked on with dread and uncertainty. The silver Gaoranger's eyes widened as the energy approached and he grimaced as there was a flash of lightning, letting out a dull grunt as he felt the energy enter his body. Gao Wolf's eyes flashed red.

In Shirogane's place stood Rouki. The black armoured wolf-like creature, snarling and spitting. The Gaoranger's let out a collective gasp.

"Rouki…" Kakeru muttered under his breath.

Before them was a different Rouki then the one they had previously encountered. This one appeared more animalistic, more threatening, more powerful.

"W-what is that?" Sion gasped, pointing at Rouki with a shaking hand.

"Did Shirogane just turn into a wolf-creature?" Domon couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. A human had just turned into an animal.

"That's what the evil energy does," Kakeru replied. "But we've never seen him like this before. This is a different Rouki to the one we previously encountered." He could clearly remember how difficult it had been to defeat him the last time and since this Rouki was obviously a lot more powerful then the last, he knew it would be even more difficult to bring Shirogane back. He just hoped the silver Gaoranger could fight the evil energy now coursing through his veins.

"Fight it, Silver," he heard Sae mutter next to him.

Rouki suddenly let out an ear-piercing cry as there was another flash of light and Gao Silver stood in Rouki's place. Everyone gasped upon seeing this change while Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba wore looks of worry. Yabaiba wore Shirogane's G-Brace meaning he couldn't turn into Gao Silver. It didn't make any sense. How was it possible? They turned to Ura who didn't seem at all bothered by the appearance of Gao Silver.

"He's fighting it," Sae breathed. Around her, her teammates cheered Shirogane on, willing him to win in his fight against the evil energy.

Gao Silver then reverted back to Shirogane who let out a yell before Rouki reappeared, snarling and snapping its jaws. Gao Silver then took Rouki's place before reverting back to Rouki. Shirogane then appeared, his yelling getting louder as he continued to determinedly try and expel the evil energy. He wasn't going to let Rouki win, not again.

"Come on," Gaku muttered, watching the scene before him. He really didn't want to have to fight Rouki again, especially since he knew that Shirogane was in there. He had faith in his teammate. He had won once before. He could do it again.

Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba turned to Ura, worry still covering their faces, though the Highness Org still didn't look bothered by the change in events.

"Ura-sama," Tsue Tsue simpered, "what should we do."

"Nothing," came the reply. He had been expecting this and he was prepared. In fact, he had hoped that this is what would happen.

Tsue Tsue turned to her Duke Org companion, her eyes showing her confusion at the response. Yabaiba shrugged his shoulders. Ura must know what he was doing. He wouldn't have done all of this planning and not thought about what could happen. This must all be part of the Highness Org's plan.

Shirogane let out a scream, sending shivers down the Gaorangers' and Timerangers' spines while lightning continued to flash around them. It was a scream mixed with many emotions, pain, frustration, determination.

"We have to do something," Sae whimpered. She couldn't stand seeing him like this anymore.

"What are we supposed to do?" Domon questioned.

"Can't Serperant shoot Silver free of his chains?" Kai asked, indicating towards the former criminal.

Yuuri shook her head. "He could, but if Rouki won then it would free him." She turned to Kakeru. "Right?"

The lead Gaoranger nodded. "This Rouki is a lot more powerful. If he won…" He trailed off, all of them knowing that if Rouki won and was free they would have a hell of a fight on their hands. At least, for now, the beast was contained.

"We just have to watch?!" Sae all but screeched. She didn't know how much more she could take. She understood why, but at the same time, she just couldn't fathom why they were standing back and letting Silver suffer.

There was a bright flash of lightning and Ura's laughter began to fill the air as the sky cleared, revealing an orange sky tainted with blue signalling the arrival of dusk. Gao Wolf stopped howling. Blinking a few times as their eyes adjusted from the sudden brightness, there was a collective gasp as a snarling, spitting Rouki stood, still chained to the cross, but there was no more flicking between Shirogane and Gao Silver.

"No."

They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Rouki had won.

"Silver," Sae whispered, tears brimming her eyes. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.

Rouki let out a high pitched howl, his black, hollow eyes flashing yellow, and there was a loud banging sound engulfing him with smoke. Serperant readied his rifle.

"What's going on?" Sotaro wondered, still trying to understand that Rouki had won. That the evil energy had completely taken over Shirogane.

The smoke began to disperse and there was another collective gasp. Ura stopped laughing. Free from the chains and standing in front of cross was Gao Silver. The G-Brace phone disappeared from Yabaiba's wrist and appeared on Shirogane's.

"Silver!" Kakeru took a step forward.

"Yes!" Sotaro pumped his fist into the air. "Silver won!"

"He dispelled the evil energy from his body," Ayase gasped in awe at the power and determination of the silver Gaoranger.

Ignoring the shocked Orgs, Shirogane ran past them, joining his comrades who all congratulated him ecstatically, glad that their teammate was back. However the celebrations were quickly cut short as Ura's laughter once more began to fill the air.

"Ura-sama?" Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba looked at each other, deeply confused.

"This is what I've been waiting for!" the Highness Duke Org cried, turning to face the Gaorangers and Timerangers, his golden cloak flapping with his movement. In his hands he held a small circular mirror which reflected the image of the two teams for a brief moment before he turned it so that the glass was directed at the sky.

"What are you doing?" Shirogane shouted.

Ura continued to laugh. "Evil energy! Come into my body!" he cried, tilting back so that he was looking up at the sky.

Above him was the swirling mass of energy. Lingering in the sky, it had nowhere to go but with Ura's cry, it began to move as it was quickly sucked into the mirror, emitting flashes of electric as it touched the glass surface. Ura's laughter grew louder as the electric flickered, sending a current through the Org's skin. Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba stood back.

"No way," Kakeru gasped.

The electricity grew, the flashes intensifying as they began to engulf Ura. The Org's body shook from the power but he continued to laugh.

"Ura-sama?!" Both the Duke Org's were unsure as to what was going on. They hadn't expected this and hoped that it was all a part of his master plan.

There was a sudden explosion engulfing Ura and the two remaining Orgs cried out for their master while the Gaorangers and Timerangers gasped with shock. They had no idea what was happening, but they knew that it wasn't good.

The billowing black smoke that had formed was suddenly sucked into the ground revealing a green creature. The large eared and nosed Ura had gone and in his place stood a slimmer creature with curved blades adorning his wrists and eight wing-like stubs protruding from its back, while his horn was slimmer, the blood red tip clearly standing out. The bulbous face had been replaced with a more flat, reptilian looking one, sharp teeth clearing visible.

"W-what is that?" Sion asked in a hushed voice, pointing a shaking hand at the creature.

The creature laughed, its voice slightly deeper than its predecessor's, but there was something familiar about it. "I am finally complete." He threw his arms out slightly, gesturing at his body. "My most beautiful form."

"Ura-sama!" Tsue Tsue and Yabaiba gushed with excitement, taking in their master's new form with awe.

"Ura?!" The Gaorangers were in a state of shock. Ura had used the evil energy, brought it into himself, in order to transform himself into an more powerful being.

"That's not possible." Shirogane took a step forward, his Gao Hustler Rod held out in front of him.

Ura let out a laugh but didn't respond. Instead, his red eyes glowed and he held out his hands. Beams of golden light were cast out, striking that Gaorangers and Timerangers. The eleven of them glowed, bathed in a golden light before they all let out cries of pain. The light surrounding them turned into their respective colours as their transformations forcefully ended, each other them collapsing to the ground, their bodies withering and contorting from the pain as they felt their energy being drained. The beams of coloured light streaking back over to Ura and were absorbed into his body.

"What's going on?" Tatsuya gasped, barely able to move. He studied his hand, realising that his transformation had ended. He looked up at Ura, his eyes wide.

"He's drained our powers," Kakeru gasped next to him, he could barely breathe let alone move.

Ura let out another laugh, feeling the power course through his veins. His plan had worked. He had them exactly where he wanted them. They were powerless. They were vulnerable.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So yes, we have gone into Quest 30 of Gaoranger, but with some differences, obviously. But I wanted to make this a bit more Gaoranger-centric to give them more screen time as it were. I won't be going into Quest 31 though.

I am now hoping that I will be able to wrap this story up within the six or so chapters - seriously this is going to be longest story ever!


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